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I 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY 


HOW  TO  OBTAIN  AND  HOW  TO  PRESERVE  IT 


BY 

ANNIE  JENNESS  MILLER 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  MAY  R.  KERN 


CHARLES  L.  WEBSTER  &  CO. 

1892 


Copyrighted,  1891, 
By  ANNIE  JENNESS  MILLER. 
{A  II  rights  reserved. ) 


PRESS  OF 

Jenkins  &  McCowan, 

NEW  YORK. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

CHAPTER  I. 

What  is  Physical  Beauty?   9 

CHAPTER  n. 

Causes  Operative  For  and  Against  Higher 

Ideals,   18 

CHAPTER  HI. 

General  Aids  to  Beauty — Ventilation,  Foods, 

Sleep,  Fabrics,  29 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Science  of  Bodily  Expression,  49 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Skin — Its  Care  and  Functions,  63 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Eyes,   92 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Teeth,  o   .   .    „   «  99 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
The  Hygiene  of  the  Hair,   106 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Care  of  the  Hands,     .  124 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  X. 
The  Feet,     ...    .  *  «    .    .  142 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Dress  in  All  Ages,   .    .    .    .    .    .  151 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Dress  as  it  Should  be  for  Health  and  Artistic 

Effect,  168 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Practical  Suggestions  for  Dress,  190 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Cultivation  of  Individuality,     .    .    .    .    ,  210 

CHAPTER  XV. 
The  Home  of  the  Future,  and  its  Queen,     .    .  226 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Man's  Sphere,  240 


CHAPTER  I. 

WHAT  IS  PHYSICAL  BEAUTY? 

IHERE  are,  unquestionably,  certain 
positive  and  infallible  tests  of  phy- 
sical perfection;  and  the  differ= 
ence  of  opinion,  which  exists 
among  different  races  as  to 
what  constitutes  individual 
beauty,  does  not  affect  those 
absolute  and  fixed  principles, 
which  are  independent  of  a 
crude  and  undeveloped  taste. 
The  superiority  of  civilized 
man  is  evinced  by  his  delight 
in  refined  lineaments  and  diverse 
emotional  expression,  of  which 
his  uncivilized  brother  has  no 
conception.  The  savage  does  not 
accept  the  higher  ideals  because 
he  cannot  understand  them ;  to 
him,  the  coarse  and  brutal  consti- 
tute attractiveness,  and  his  ambi- 
tion is  to  make  himself  terrible  to  an  enemy.  The 
mental  development  and  emotional  sensitiveness 


lO  PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 

which  have,  by  degrees,  caused  the  difference  be- 
tween superior  forms  and  features  and  his  own,  are 
too  subtle  to  make  any  impression  upon  his  obtuse 
senses  and  crude  understanding. 

In  tracing  organic  evolution  through  successive 
variations,  it  is  proved,  by  accurate  scientific  data, 
that  the  highest  types  of  mankind  have  been  evolved 
by  gradual  yet  continual  functional  and  structural 
changes,  one  after  another,  of  the  different  parts  of 
their  organisms,  modified  to  correspond  with  increas- 
ed aesthetic  sensibility.  Civilized  races  have,  there- 
fore, the  undoubted  right  to  claim  superiority  oi 
judgment  concerning  general  standards  of  beauty; 
although  it  must  be  admitted  that  there  is  something 
yet  to  learn  before  we  can  reasonably  demand  that 
our  criteria  of  proportion  shall  be  accepted  as  abso- 
lute. 

The  practice  of  disfiguring  the  body,  which  nav- 
igators report  as  common  among  savages,  fills  the 
mind  with  loathing  and  disdain,  because  so  mani- 
festly brutal  and  irrational;  nevertheless,  the  fash- 
ionable civilized  world  is  not  above  some  exaggera- 
tions which  closely  approximate  to  these  same 
degraded  practices.  It  is  only  two  or  three  years 
ago  that  the  higher  types  of  women  were  wearing 
an  artificial  substitute  (the  bustle)  for  the  steatopyga, 
a  most  vulgar  and  abnormal  development  of  the 
female  Hottentot;  and  many  among  those  who  con- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


demn  the  Chinese  custom  of  stunting  the  growth  of 
their  "  ladies'  "  feet  to  the  extent  of  practical  useless- 
ness,  deliberately  squeeze  their  own  into  shoes  too 
small  for  comfort  and  grace  of  movement.  Although 
tight  lacing  does  not  obtain  to  such  an  extent  as 
formerly,  the  abnormal  length  of  the  waist  and  the 
angle  at  the  line  of  waist  and  hips,  as  shown  in  the 
fashion  plates  and  copied  by  fashion's  devotees, 
prove  that  this  long-admired  divergence  from  essen- 
tial proportion  still  holds  more  or  less  sway  over  the 
popular  mind.  Numbers  of  refined  women,  who  look 
upon  nose  and  lip  piercing  as  barbarous  and  disfig- 
uring in  the  extreme,  still  wear  rings  through  the 
ears  and  regard  them  as  highly  ornamental.  In  all, 
however,  as  compared  with  the  ideals  of  even  a  half- 
century  ago,  the  general  conception  of  physical 
beauty  is  much  higher,  and  I  am  sanguine  of  the  es- 
tablishment of  immediate  physiological  and  hygienic 
improvements  which  will,  in  the  near  future,  do  away 
with  these  lingering  remnants  of  a  savage  tendency 
toward  the  violation  of  harmonious  proportion. 

The  human  form,  in  its  perfection,  is  the  most  ex- 
quisite of  divine  creations,  and  it  is  certain  that  the 
steady  advance  of  intellectual  and  aesthetic  culture 
must  prevail  to  establish  that  respect  for  form  and 
symmetry  which  has  made  Greek  sculpture  immor- 
tal. In  all  respects  except  proportion  we  are  ad- 
vanced far  beyond  all  the  ancient  nations  in  our 


12 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


13 


conceptions  of  absolute  beauty.  The  Greeks  were 
both  colorless  and  unemotional  in  their  art,  which 
was  entirely  of  form,  while  we  have  the  keenest  ap- 
preciation of  subtle  and  delicate  shadings  of  color 
and  expression ;  and  the  higher  the  mental  and 
aesthetic  training,  the  more  varied  will  these  visible 
signs  of  superiority  become. 

While  physical  beauty,  as  a  direct  result  of  health, 
may  exist  in  a  more  or  less  crude  form,  entirely  in- 
dependent of  refined  emotions — and  among  semi- 
civilized  tribes  some  remarkable  instances  of  individ- 
ual animal  perfection  have  been  noted — the  subtle, 
imperceptible  processes  of  poetic  and  elevating 
thought  are  required  to  develop  specialized  beauty, 
such  as  Mr.  Ruskin  undoubtedly  had  in  mind  when 
he  wrote  of  "  the  operation  of  the  intellectual  powers 
upon  the  features  in  the  fine  cutting  and  chiseling  of 
them,  and  the  removal  from  them  of  signs  of  sensual- 
ity and  sloth  by  which  they  are  blunted  and  dead- 
ened; and  substitution  of  energy  and  intensity  for 
vacancy  and  insipidity  (by  which  defect,  alone,  the 
faces  of  many  fair  women  are  utterly  spoiled  and 
rendered  valueless),  and  by  keenness  given  to  the 
eye,  and  fine  moulding  and  development  to  the 
brow." 

Considered  as  a  matter  of  health,  physical  beauty, 
pure  and  simple,  consists  in  symmetry,  vital  vigor, 
and  brilliant  coloring;  just  as  the  beauty  of  wild 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


plants  and  flowers  of  the  fields  denotes  freedom  to 
riot  in  the  fresh  air  and  the  glorious  sunshine.  In 
both  men  and  plants  there  is  the  quality  of  natural, 
vital  attractiveness;  but  the  delicacy  of  tinting  and 
fragrance  of  careful  culture  are  needed  to  satisfy 
the  subtler  artistic  and  emotional  taste. 

The  value  of  aesthetic  training  lies  in  the  fact  that 
it  enables  one  to  understand  and  enjoy  the  exquisite 
variations  in  human  expression,  which,  like  the 
dreamy  tones  of  some  delicious  and  complex  work 
of  a  master  musician,  enthrall  the  senses  and  guide 
the  soul  into  the  realms  of  a  loftier  and  more  com- 
prehensive spirituality — into  the  enjoyment  of  a  grand 
diapason  of  infinite  harmonies. 

The  savage  knows  fierce  emotions  and  a  species 
of  wild  and  untutored  delight;  but  civilized  man  is 
capable  of  a  range  of  sensibility  which  embraces 
every  shade  of  emotion.  No  limit  is  set  to  his  power 
of  achievement,  or  to  his  capacity  for  either  enjoy- 
ment or  suffering,  except  as  reason,  self-respect,  re- 
ligion, faith,  and  philosophy,  modify  and  control  his 
passions.  True  beauty  is,  then,  the  highest  form  of 
physical  proportion  united  to  profound  mental  and 
spiritual  faculties. 

At  all  times,  negative  contemplation  of  the  infinite 
and  complex  possibilities  of  man's  high  destiny  is 
exhilarating;  but  the  scientific  study  of  the  anatomi- 
cal, sesthetico-intellectual  distinctions  of  form,  radia- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


15 


tion  and  expression,  and  their  fusion  into  harmonious 
personaHty  is  of  pecuHar  and  far-reaching  interest. 

In  the  present  work,  however,  I  aim  no  higher 
than  to  emphasize  the  lesson  which  others  have  ably 
and  exhaustively  taught,  that  the  evolution  of  man 
has  been  brought  about  through  successive  stages 
and  the  operation  of  natural  laws,  by  which  crude 
traits  of  form  and  physiognomy  have  slowly  refined 
into  diverse  and  manifold  attractions;  and  I  desire 
to  point  the  way  toward  the  still  higher  physical  and 
mental  possibilities,  which  are  ready  to  unfold  at  the 
touch  of  the  earnest  seeker  after  physical  and  mental 
advancement. 

Without  dogmatism,  one  may  assert  that  the  pres- 
ent generation  of  civilized  men  and  women  possess 
the  data  for  positive  tests  of  beauty,  such  as  no 
others,  not  even  the  Greeks,  enjoyed.  They  were  a 
fine  race  physically,  because  they  idealized  propor- 
tion and  refused  to  bring  up  sickly  and  deformed  in- 
fants; but  in  the  essentials  of  harmonious  expression 
all  of  the  ancient  nations  were  inferior  to  ourselves, 
and  some  of  the  delicate  shadings  of  mental  refine- 
ment, which  give  character  to  the  faces  of  certain 
women  to-day,  would  have  been  incomprehensible 
to  an  early  Spartan  or  Athenian. 

Any  close  student  of  human  science  arrives  at  the 
important  conclusion  that  positive  beauty  belongs  to 
the  superior  races  by  reason  of  the  variations  fur- 


i6 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


nished  through  physiological  care  and  refined  mental 
processes,  and,  further,  that  the  higher  development 
and  permanence  of  physical  beauty  depend  upon  the 
intelligent  application  and  maintenance  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  correct  living  and  lofty  thinking.  Allowing 
for  race  idiosyncrasies  among  the  different  civilized 
nations  of  the  world,  there  still  remain  positive  tests 
of  beauty  common  to  all,  viz.,  proportion,  gradation, 
curvature,  symmetry,  color,  smoothness,  delicacy, 
and  expression. 

In  all  true  proportion,  the  unity  of  the  object  pleases 
the  eye  without  suggestive  exaggeration  in  any  part, 
therefore  absolute  proportion  is  not  a  metaphysical 
abstraction,  but  rather  the  natural  and  harmonious 
relation  of  separate  and  distinct  members. 

In  curvature,  gradation,  and  color  reside  the  subt- 
ler distinctions  of  physical  grace  and  expression, 
positive  and  indisputable  tests  of  beauty  revealed  in 
rounded  and  tapering  limbs,  exquisite  curves  and 
warm  flesh  tints.  Curvature  is  the  aesthetic  quality 
of  graceful  moment,  just  as  gradation  is  the  poetic 
reflection  of  an  infinite  variety  of  lights  and  shadows 
in  the  human  physiology,  while  delicacy  differen- 
tiates the  refined  from  the  coarse  in  form  and  features, 
and  smoothness  sets  the  seal  of  attractiveness  upon 
the  unequal  surfaces  of  the  body  in  contour  and  fine- 
ness to  touch  and  sight. 

Regarding  smoothness,  delicacy,  coloring,  and 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


17 


lustre,  all  cultivated  people  hold  positive  views  quite 
in  accordance  with  the  opinions  of  the  best  art  critics, 
and  we  are  just  beginning  to  comprehend  the  im- 
portance of  individuality  to  give  wider  range  and 
variety  to  human  attractiveness. 

In  positive  beauty,  monotony  is  impossible,  for  the 
human  creation  is  susceptible  of  such  infinite  shad- 
ings in  color  and  expression  when  uniting  all  of  the 
recognized  tests  of  beauty,  that  one  man  will  differ 
from  his  fellow,  and  especially  one  woman  from  an- 
other, because  of  the  finer  mould,  as  the  delicate  and 
exquisite  orchids  differ  from  their  kind  in  shape,  color, 
and  bewildering  variety. 

The  physical  beauty  of  the  future  will  be  the 
beauty  of  perfect  bodily  and  moral  integrity,  united 
to  superb  physical  proportion  and  far-reaching  men- 
tal perceptions.  Perfect  physical  beauty  admits  of 
no  mawkish  sentimentalism  and  affected  indifference 
toward  the  fixed  laws  of  cause  and  effect  crovernine 
romantic  love  and  sexual  attraction.  Splendid  phys- 
ical passions,  when  splendidly  controlled,  are  like 
the  luminous  bodies  in  space,  giving  light  and 
warmth  to  character.  Without  these  glowing,  vital 
passions,  the  mind,  however  logical,  the  form,  how- 
ever symmetrical,  the  features,  however  faultlessly 
chiseled,  lack  that  magnetic  quality  of  radiation 
which  is  the  perfection  of  attractiveness,  the  very 
exaltation  of  human  beauty  and  power. 


CHAPTER  II. 

CAUSES  OPERATIVE  FOR  AND 
AGAINST  HIGHER  IDEALS. 

T  was,  I  think,  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes  who  said,  with  char- 
acteristic humor,  that  it 
is  impossible  to  make 
a  perfect  human  be- 
ing without  be- 
;       ginning  sev- 
eral genera- 
tions  before  he 
r    is  born;  but  poor  human- 
ity,being  denied  the  priv- 
ilege of  choosing  its  own 
prenatal    conditions,  it 
behooves    men  and 
women    who  recognize 
the  limitations  imposed 
by  this  unalterable  law 
of  nature,  to  consider  the 
rights  and  possibilities  of 
the  unborn,  whose  future 
physical,  mental  and 
moral  attributes  will  cor- 
respond, in  greater  or 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


19 


less  degree,  with  the  conditions  instituted  by  them- 
selves. It  is  most  important  to  the  establishment 
of  sound  hereditary  direction,  that  we  should  admit, 
without  qualification,  that  disease  is  ugliness,  and 
health,  beauty;  we  are  then  prepared  to  meet  the 
vital  question  of  how  to  rid  the  world  of  disease. 

The  optimist  declares  that  progressive  sanitary 
science  is  doing  all  that  can  be  done  for  disease  in 
the  aggregate;  while  the  pessimist  meets  the  glow- 
ing accounts  of  the  wonders  being  accomplished  by 
a  better  system  of  sewerage,  compulsory  sanitary 
plumbing,  improvements  at  the  quarantine  stations, 
and  the  appointment  ofcommissioners  to  investigate 
the  origin  and  progress  of  epidemics,  with  a  perfect 
flood-tide  of  facts  concerning  the  filth  and  squalor 
of  the  over-populated  districts  in  our  large  cities, 
the  crowding  and  misery  in  tenement-houses,  and 
the  imperfect  ventilation  of  workshops  and  fac- 
tories, even  of  churches  and  other  public  places 
where  the  poorer  classes  congregate.  If  the  former 
suggests  that  hundreds  of  children  are  sent  into  the 
country  each  summer  by  private  philanthropy,  to 
enjoy  a  breath  of  fresh  air,  or  a  dip  into  the  sea,  the 
latter  immediately  draws  comparisons  between  the 
ridiculously  small  numbers  who  benefit  by  these 
well-meant  efforts  of  the  rich  and  fortunate,  and 
the  appallingly  large  numbers  who  not  only  do  not 
enjoy  these  superior  advantages,  but  are  denied  even 


20 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY, 


the  means  for  properly  bathing  during  the  heated 
term,  when  the  free  use  of  water  is  such  a  prevent- 
ive of  disease.  Neither  of  these  two  extremists  sees 
what  hes  beyond  his  own  horizon,  and  each  is  right 
from  his  own  point  of  view. 

In  our  large  cities,  health  and  beauty  of  the  high- 
est known  type  jostles  elbows  with  disease  and  de- 
formity so  repulsive  that  one  wonders  if  these  two 
opposing  conditions  can  possibly  be  the  outcome  of 
the  same  glorious  civilization.  "  All  men  are  born 
free  and  equal,"  says  our  Constitution.  "Alas  !  there 
is  no  equality  anywhere,"  is  the  evidence  of  unprej- 
udiced reasoning.  Upon  one  side  is  heard  the  enthu- 
siasm of  hopes  fulfilled  and  material  wants  supplied; 
upon  the  other,  the  groans  of  suffering  and  discon- 
tent; each  one  bringing  his  own  identity  and  expe- 
riences to  bear  in  testimony  for  and  against  the 
higher  ideals.  Nevertheless,  the  profound  logic  of 
all  life  lies  in  the  fact  that  there  is  evidence  of  mate- 
rial progress  upon  every  hand,  and  the  unremitting 
workings  of  a  universal  law  which  looks  to  the  ulti- 
mate welfare  of  mankind,  whatever  the  individual 
destiny  may  be  upon  this  onward  march  of  progress- 
ive human  science. 

Those  who  seek  to  correct  constitutional  evils  by 
pulling  down  existing  social  and  national  structures, 
in  order  to  rebuild  them  in  accordance  with  untried 
Utopian  plans,  are  children  playing  with  blocks  at 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


building  habitable  houses.  Whatever  causes  are 
now  operative  against  individual  well-being,  we 
must  remember  that  evolution  is  an  unceasing  pro- 
cess, and  embraces  the  general  welfare  according 
to  natural  and  established  principles,  and  any  im- 
provements that  are  possible  to  the  present  genera- 
tion must  come  through  the  intelligent  application 
of  this  unrelenting  law.  Some  of  the  ablest  minds 
of  the  day  are  at  work  formulating  measures  for  the 
relief  of  sickness,  sin  and  suffering  in  the  aggregate, 
with  the  results  that  knowledge  of  anatomy,  physi- 
ology, chemistry  and  sanitary  subjects  is  being  more 
generally  diffused  among  the  masses.  This  will,  I 
believe,  lead,  in  time,  to  the  more  general  establish- 
ment of  free  baths  and  gymnasiums  for  the  poor, 
and,  finally,  to  systematic  physical  development  as 
a  compulsory  part  of  a  common-school  education. 

It  is  through  the  public  schools,  and  other  free 
public  mediums  for  the  dissemination  of  knowledge 
upon  subjects  of  health  and  hygiene,  that  we  may 
hope,  in  a  measure,  to  overcome  inherited  disease, 
and  those  vicious  traits  of  character  which  fill  our 
jails  and  reformatories,  our  workshops  and  prisons 
with  wretched,  degraded  specimens  of  humanity. 
Crime  is  quite  as  much  a  disease  as  insanity.  I  have 
always  believed  it:  since  visiting  the  jails  and  court- 
rooms of  our  cities,  and  watching  the  progress  of 
the  trials  of  men  and  women  accused  of  all  manner 


22 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


of  heinous  crimes,  I  know  it.  There  is  not  a  head, 
not  a  face,  and  scarcely  a  body  among  these  crimi- 
nals which  does  not  carry  the  evidence  of  unfortu- 
nate prenatal  conditions,  and  unmistakable  signs  of 
morbid  and  diseased  minds;  and  there  is  profound 
wisdom,  rather  than  sentimentalism,  in  the  advocacy 
of  the  few  who  have  dared  to  speak  in  behalf  of 
scientific  corrective  treatment,  rather  than  punish- 
ment, for  criminals. 

When  we  have  exterminated  an  offender  by  the 
strong  arm  of  the  law,  we  have  taken  an  easy,  if  not 
wholly  consistent  and  civilized,  method  for  relieving 
the  world  of  a  single  moral  pest,  but  we  have  done 
nothing  for  criminals  nor  crime  in  the  aggregate. 
When,  upon  the  other  hand,  we  have  put  the  means 
of  physiological  and  mental  correction  within  reach 
of  those  who  are  morally  certain,  from  unfortunate 
parental  influences  and  unhappy  surroundings,  to 
become  the  criminal  class,  we  have  done  something 
for  humanity  and  the  triumph  of  higher  ideals. 
Crime  cannot  be  suppressed:  it  must  be  eradicated. 
Evil  influences  lose  their  force  when  one  enjoys 
physical  and  mental  health. 

We  are  still  far  from  the  fulfillment  of  the  grandest 
ideals  of  correct  living;  but  every  free  bath  and 
gymnasium  given  to  the  public  are  added  factors  in 
the  general  improvement  of  the  race.  Our  national 
game  of  base-ball  forms  an  important  interest  in  the 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


23 


lives  of  thousands  of  humble  people,  and  the  open- 
ing of  parks  and  museums  upon  the  Sabbath,  not- 
withstanding popular  prejudice,  is  certainly  a  pro- 
foundly progressive  movement, which  will  accomplish 
more  physiological  and  spiritual  good  for  humanity 
than  hundreds  of  abstruse  sermons  preached  within 
the  walls  of  poorly  ventilated  churches.  At  best, 
the  influences  surrounding  the  poorer  classes  are 
deplorable;  but  one  day  of  rest  and  recreation  for 
tired  and  overworked  mothers  and  fathers  is  better 
than  none,  and  a  regular  seventh-day  change  from 
the  dreary  treadmill  of  stern  necessity  into  pure  air 
and  inspiriting  surroundings  cannot  fail  to  leave 
some  impress  upon  the  physical  and  mental  condi- 
tion of  the  children  born  to  these  parents. 

These  are,  to*be  sure,  slight  gains;  but  they  are 
gains  in  the  grand  total  .of  human  life;  they  are  the 
first  steps  toward  improved  living  and  higher  think- 
ing, which  must  eventually  lead  to  the  general 
establishment  of  better  conditions  for  all";  they  are 
the  natural  and  logical  application  of  sound  princi- 
ples for  the  eradication  of  disease,  and,  through 
disease,  vice.  Nowhere  could  this  profound  work 
of  human  elevation  be  more  hopefully  inaugurated 
than  among  Americans;  for  nowhere  else  in  the 
world  does  woman,  upon  whom  so  much  depends, 
enjoy  the  respect  which  is  accorded  her  in  this 
country.^  I  do  not  speak  of  the  favored  few  who  are 


24 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


known  by  the  gentle  and  complimentary  term  la- 
dies,!' but  woman,"  because  of  her  womanhood. 
Many  burdens  imposed  upon  her  among  other  na- 
tions would  be  regarded  as  brutal  and  impossible  with 
us;  and  who  would  presume  to  say  that  this  under- 
lying spirit  of  deference  to  the  sex  will  not  event- 
ually lead  to  such  recognition  of  what  is  woman's 
natural  right,  as  not  only  to  give  her  entire  protec- 
tion in  whatever  she  may  undertake,  but,  what  is  of 
vastly  more  importance  to  the  race,  secure  to  moth- 
erhood the  privilege  of  being  set  apart  froip  the 
other  wearing  duties  of  life,  in  order  that  natural 
obligations  toward  the  unborn  may  be  fulfilled  in 
the  interests,  first  of  the  individual,  and  afterward 
of  a  generally  better  moral  and  physical  status  ? 

I  have  sometimes  wondered  wlfether  the  great 
excess  of  women  over  men  in  populous  districts  was 
not  nature's  own  argument  in  favor  of  the  observ- 
ance of  this  high  physical  law — an  argument  that 
enough  practical  woman  workers  would  still  be  left 
in  all  of  the  necessary  fields  of  human  activity,  were 
these  higher  laws  of  maternity  accepted.  I  am  cer- 
tain that  the  rapid  unfolding  of  the  grandest  possi- 
bilities of  the  race  would  prove  the  wisdom  of  guard- 
ing motherhood  as  sacred. 

Disease  and  deformity,  and,  consequently,  sin, could 
not  fail  to  diminish  rapidly  under  conditions  which 
permitted  women  to  live  in  conformity  with  the 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY, 


25 


higher  laws  of  life  during  the  child-bearing  period; 
laws  which  led  to  bathing,  exercise  and  thought  in 
accordance  with  progressive  physiology,  and  to  the 
methods  of  dress  which  would  give  all  of  the 
vital  organs  freedom  to  fulfill  the  nobler  functions  of 
maternity  with  integrity.  It  is  by  no  means  beyond 
the  possibilities  of  the  future  that  men  and  women 
of  the  humble  and  hard-working  class  may  be  led 
to  take  an  interest  in  proper  prenatal  and  other 
progressive  influences,  which  will  bring  sounder 
health,  better  looks,  purer  appetites,  and  propor- 
tionately greater  happiness  to  their  offspring. 

In  considering  the  phenomena  of  human  destiny, 
we  wonder  at  the  men  and  women  who  seem  to  be 
endowed  with  talents  and  abilities  out  of  kith  and 
kin,  because  we  So  not  study  the  source  of  genius; 
but,  almost  without  exception,  these  men  correspond 
to  the  quality  of  the  generative  force  which  animated 
the  parents  prior  to  their  birth.  It  is  not  remarkable 
in  our  own  country  that  humble  people,  when  pos- 
sessed of  sound  bodies,  and  keen,  although  undis- 
ciplined intelligence,  should,  under  the  stimulus  of 
an  absorbing  ambition  for  their  children,  transmit 
certain  directions  which  will,  through  the  friction  of 
life  under  democratic  conditions,  develop  into  supe- 
rior characteristics.  Upon  the  other  hand,  we  have 
the  explanation  of  the  failure  which  many  really 
great  men,  intellectually,  make  [of  paternity.  Ab- 


26 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


sorbed  in  their  personal  interests,  ambitious  for 
themselves,  and,  very  probably,  mentally  over- 
worked and  physically  weakened  by  the  continued 
nervous  strain  under  which  they  live,  it  is  scarcely 
possible  for  these  men  to  transmit  the  finer  qualities 
which  are  their  own  characteristics.  The  force 
which  is  operative  to  establish  and  develop  the 
highest  elements  of  mind  and  body,  through  the 
mysteries  of  the  procreative  laws,  has  been  dissi- 
sipated  in  the  channels  of  personal  activity,  and  they 
are  not  in  a  condition  to  contribute  sufficient  organic 
capacity  to  offspring. 

This  is  more  conspicuously  true  where  both  par- 
ents are  splendidly  endowed  mentally — and  given, 
in  consequence,  to  great  personal  achievements — 
than  where  the  mother  is  of  a  less  active  type,  intel- 
lectually; yet  these  are  the  men  and  women  who 
should,  by  virtue  of  their  own  endowments,  become 
the  parents  of  gods.  Fine  racers  and  prize  brutes 
are  developed  from  the  best  blood,  according  to  ac- 
curate and  scientific  principles;  only  men  and  wom- 
en are  left  to  the  haphazard  chance. 

I  believe  that  the  philosopher  of  the  future  will  be 
called  upon  to  deal  with  the  question  of  the  rights 
of  the  unborn,  and  I  am  convinced  that  fewer  and 
better  offspring  will  be  endorsed  by  the  wisdom  of 
coming  generations. 

Women  who  look  forward  to  marriage  should  pre- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


27 


pare  themselves  with  profound  seriousness,  and, 
finally,  enter  upon  the  duties  and  pleasures  involved, 
with  the  unalterable  determination  to  fulfill  these 
sacred  offices  through  intelligent  understanding  and 
direction  of  their  own  mental  and  physical  forces 
toward  systematic  and  scientific  maternity.  Neither 
is  this  an  indelicate  subject,  to  be  avoided,  or  dis- 
cussed with  closed  doors:  some  of  the  weightiest 
problems  of  social  and  political  economy  are  in- 
volved; and  the  solution  of  many  evils  which  con- 
front the  statesman  and  national  reformer  lies  in  a 
thorough  understanding  of  how  to  deal  with  the  per- 
sonal rights  and  possibilities  of  individuals  in  their 
relation  to  the  masses,  to  national  prosperity,  and 
the  perpetuity  of  free  institutions.  While  much  may 
undoubtedly  be  accomplished  with  individuals  in  the 
way  of  overcoming  and  correcting  defects  of  hered- 
ity and  early  influences,  the  permanent  cure  for 
vicious  and  abnormal  qualities  will  be  found  in  es- 
tablishing sounder  prenatal  conditions. 

A  difficult  task  !  Yet  centuries  ago  the  Greeks 
understood  this  far-reaching  law,  and  the  women 
who  anticipated  motherhood  were  rationally  pro- 
tected, in  order  that  the  fulfillment  of  their  personal 
hopes  should  contribute  worthy  citizens  to  national 
greatness.  These  ancients  were  a  patriotic  people; 
so  are  we,  theoretically,  at  least;  but  we  trust  to  the 
ballot  to  correct  evils  which  they  corrected  by  nat- 


28 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


ural  law.  A  singular  spectacle  this — of  an  intelli- 
gent people  substituting  the  ballot,  in  the  hands  of 
ignorance,  for  the  practical  application  of  progressive 
science.  Mrs.  Partington  sweeping  off  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  with  a  broom  is  not  nearly  so  hopeless  a 
spectacle  as  the  modern  legislators  making  laws 
against  public  sentiment  to  control  appetites  born 
and  bred  in  the  blood.  The  subject  is,  however,  far 
too  wide  for  the  limits  of  such  a  work  as  this;  my 
purpose  beginning  and  ending  with  directing 
thought  toward  sounder,  better  bodily  conditions  in 
the  interest  of  physical  beauty  and  higher  morality. 
If  I  succeed  in  giving  some  practical  suggestions 
which  will  arouse  individual  effort  toward  these  no- 
bler ideals,  my  work  in  this  instance  will  have  been 
accomplished. 


CHAPTER  III. 


GENERAL  AIDS  TO  BEAUTY — VENTILATION,  FOODS, 
SLEEP,  FABRICS. 

VENTILATION. 


HERE  are  certain  gen- 
eral aids  to  beauty  which 
I  shall  cursorily  men- 
tion, believing  that  "  a 
word  to  the  wise  will 
prove  sufficient." 

After  the 
cleanliness  of 
bathing  ■ — 
which  will  be 


given  due 


consideration 
in  the  chapter 
upon  the  skin — 
omes  the  equal- 
ly important  clean- 
liness of  ventilation; 
for  the  impurity  from  a 
badly  ventilated  room 


30 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


finds  its  way  into  the  life  forces  of  the  body  through 
the  breath  and  lungs,  inducing  lassitude  and  dis- 
ease. A  great  many  persons  who  are  scrupulous 
about  a  daily  walk,  for  an  hour,  for  health,  will  con- 
tentedly breathe  the  same  vitiated  air  over  and  over 
again  in  their  close,  badly  ventilated  rooms  the 
other  twenty-three  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four,  if 
duties  keep  them  indoors,  and  wonder  at  headaches 
and  that  feeble,  "  tired  feeling,"  because  they  do  not 
give  a  thought  to  the  cause. 

Every  adult  person  needs  at  least  two  thousand 
cubic  feet  of  fresh  air  per  hour  for  pure  blood  and 
good  health.  Less  means  that  the  organic  poisons 
thrown  off  through  the  lungs  and  body  must  be  re- 
absorbed into  the  system  again.  A  good  many  per- 
sons confound  pure  air  with  cold  air,  and  hot  air 
with  what  is  impure,  and,  acting  upon  such  theory, 
practically  seal  up  their  windows  and  doors  from 
fall  to  spring,  and  never  allow  a  breath  of  air,  which 
ingenuity  can  exclude,  to  get  in  from  the  outside 
during  the  winter.  Necessarily  such  houses  are  dif- 
ficult to  warm,  as  it  is  almost  impossible  to  heat  up 
cold,  impure  air;  and  the  inmates  frequently  begin 
the  spring  with  broken-down  tissues,  and  typhoid, 
malaria  or  a  hacking  cough. 

I  have  frequently  tried  the  experiment  on  a  very 
cold  day,  when  my  furnace  and  grates  seemed  inca- 
pable of  producing  the  necessary  warmth,  of  open- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY, 


31 


ing  the  windows  all  round,  top  and  bottom,  two 
rooms  at  a  time,  to  get  a  current  of  air,  and  have, 
after  a  clean  sweep,  which  rid  the  house  of  all  lurk- 
ing impurities,  been  rewarded  by  a  deliciously  warm 
and  grateful  atmosphere.  Pure  air  readily  warms 
up,  but  it  is  almost  impossible  to  impregnate  dense, 
impure  air  with  heat. 

It  is  a  comparatively  easy  matter  for  one  interest- 
ed in  the  fresh-air  question  to  arrange  a  system  of 
ventilation  for  the  home  which  will,  in  connection 
with  the  insensible  ventilation  admitted  by  doors, 
windows,  crevices,  and,  happily  for  health  and  lon- 
gevity, that  modern  artistic  revival,  the  fireplace,  be 
very  nearly  perfect.  All  rooms  need  ventilation 
from  above,  because  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
bad  air  rises,  especially  when  warm,  and  if  no  means 
of  escape  is  provided  at  the  top  of  the  room  this 
poisoned  atmosphere  hangs  like  a  cloud  of  destruc- 
tion, imperiling  the  lives  of  the  inmates.  Admitting 
^  pure  air  at  the  bottom  of  the  window  is  well  enough, 
so  far  as  it  goes;  but  it  does  not  go  far  enough  to 
insure  absolute  purity  of  atmosphere,  especially  in  a 
room  that  is  constantly  used. 

Draughts  are  to  be  deprecated,  but  there  is  no 
need  for  them  if  a  little  skill  be  used  in  arranging 
the  means  for  ventilation.  I  know  a  house  in  which 
all  windows  are  opened  at  the  bottom  from  six  to 
ten  inches  and  supplied  with  ornamental  glass,  trans- 


32 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


parencies,  or  carved  woodwork.  The  effect  is  at- 
tractive, and  an  excellent  system  of  ventilation  is 
established.  The  space  between  the  upper  part  of 
the  lower  sash  and  the  lower  part  of  the  upper  sash 
affords  a  means  for  fresh  air  to  enter  in  an  upward 
direction,  which  saves  draughts,  and  at  the  same 
time  keeps  up  a  constant  current  of  pure  air  from 
the  outside. 

At  night  the  windows  of  a  sleeping-room  should 
be  so  arranged  as  to  allow  fresh  air  to  enter  below, 
and  escape  above,  by  a  current  formed  by  opening 
one  window  at  the  top  and  another  at  the  bottom; 
or,  if  there  be  but  one  window  in  the  room,  by  open- 
ing that  five  inches,  both  top  and  bottom;  or,  better 
yet,  if  there  is  a  place  in  the  room  for  putting  up  a 
stove,  remove  the  cap  over  the  opening  into  the 
chimney  for  the  accommodation  of  the  stove-funnel, 
and  form  a  current  of  air  by  the  combined  aid  of  the 
window  and  chimney.  A  thin  India  silk  curtain  on 
a  rod,  or  a  painted  bolting  screen,  or  a  flowered 
scrim,  may  be  ornamentally  draped  over  the  cap- 
opening.  In  fact,  ingenuity  can  suggest  numberless 
pretty  devices  for  hiding  the  hole  in  the  chimney, 
while  gaining  the  advantage  for  purposes  of  ventila- 
tion. Of  course,  no  enlightened  person  in  the  pres- 
ent day  puts  up  a  closed  stove  of  the  air-tight  de- 
scription in  a  bed-chamber.  One  guilty  of  such  an 
inartistic  and  physiological  offence  should  be  con- 


3 


33 


34 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY, 


fined  inside,  and  given  the  time  and  opportunity  to 
realize  and  expiate  their  crime  in  literal  sackcloth 
and  ashes.  Open-grate  stoves  are  the  only  ones  for 
sleeping-rooms. 

Many  persons  have  a  deeply  rooted  prejudice 
against  the  night  air,  and  would  no  more  go  to 
sleep  with  an  open  window  than  with  a  pestilence; 
yet  the  night  air  is  always  preferable  to  confined  air 
in  any  location;  while  in  healthful  neighborhoods, 
which  are  free  from  malaria,  especially  in  high,  dry 
latitudes,  the  benefits  from  the  night  air  are  so  mark- 
ed that  consumptives  often  gain  very  perceptibly 
from  tenting,  and  are  advised  to  live  that  way  in 
preference  to  living  indoors  during  all  the  milder 
months  of  the  year.  In  traveling  in  Arizona  I  met 
a  consumptive  who  had  slept  out  of  doors  in  a  swing- 
ing-bed for  nine  months  out  of  the  twelve  during 
three  years,  who  unhesitatingly  declared  that  he 
owed  his  life  to  the  uninterrupted  breathing  of  the 
pure  air  of  that  region,  night  and  day,  during  all  of 
that  time. 

Using  ornamental  lamps  in  place  of  gas,  which 
has  gained  so  much  favor  during  the  last  few  years, 
is  a  step  in  the  direction  of  health,  which,  it  is  to  be 
hoped,  will  not  prove  a  passing  fad.  The  oil-lamp 
consumes  less  than  one-third  of  the  oxygen,  and 
produces  less  than  one-third  of  the  carbonic  acid 
which   is    produced  by  a  single  gas-jet,   and  is, 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


35 


in  that  ratio,  less  injurious  to  health  than  the 
gas-jet. 

Indifference  to  pure  air  in  public  places  is  a  matter 
for  alarm  and  protest.  Especially  is  this  true  of  public 
halls,  churches,  school-rooms,  theatres,  and,  worst  of 
all,  sleeping-cars.  Indeed,  I  do  nothesitate  to  say  that 
the  present  sleeping-car,  with  its  stuffy  curtains  and 
cushions,  its  bed-furnishings  shut  up  airtight  during 
the  day,  with  the  gathered  impurities  of  all  kinds. of 
exhalations  from  all  kinds  of  bodies,  clean  and  un- 
clean, together  with  the  poison  of  the  nicotine  from 
the  ever-present  cigar  of  the  man  who  will  smoke  in 
the  end  room  in  defiance  of  the  comfort  of  people  in 
other  parts  of  the  car;  and  the  general  prejudice 
against  fresh  air  which  animates  all  railroad  officials, 
from  the  president  down  to  the  porter,  makes  the 
life  of  a  lover  of  pure  air,  who  is  compelled  to  travel 
much,  simply  intolerable.  To  have  one's  berth  made 
up  with  the  head  toward  the  engine,  and  a  screen  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  window  at  the  foot,  does  some- 
thing to  mitigate  the  agony  of  a  night  in  one  of  these 
boxes;  but  not  much,  when  cinders  and  coal-dust 
are  taken  into  account. 

During  the  last  few  years  there  has  been  a  change 
for  the  better  in  the  ventilation  of  a  majority  of 
the  finer  public  buildings,  and  of  some  of  the  more 
luxurious  and  expensive  of  modern  dwelling-houses, 
especially  in  large  cities,  by  the  means  of  vertical 


36 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY 


shafts  in  the  wall  for  admitting  fresh  air  near  the 
floor,  and  the  escape  of  impure  air  near  the  ceiling. 
Heating  arrangements  have,  too,  been  much  im- 
proved in  connection  with  ventilation,  and  cellars 
and  furnaces  are  now  supplied  with  currents  of  fresh 
air  from  the  outside,  which  do  away  with  many  of 
the  former  dangers  to  health  from  damp,  unventi- 
lated  cellars. 

In  respect  to  all  sanitary  matters — to  ventilation, 
to  plumbing,  to  sewerage,  to  heating — residents  of 
cities  obtain  advantages  far  superior  to  those  enjoy- 
ed by  the  dweller  in  the  country. 

FOODS. 

Even  in  the  matter  of  foods,  although  nature 
spreads  her  grains,  fruits  and  vegetables  under  the 
hands  of  the  farmer,  the  ordinary  farmer's  wife 
knows  little  about  the  science  of  cooking,  and  is  so 
ignorant  of  nutritious  combinations  for  pleasure  and 
nourishment,  that  the  city  family  is  in  far  less  dan- 
ger of  dyspepsia  and  chronic  ailments  from  badly 
cooked  and  unhygienic  (in  the  true  sense)  food  than 
these  custodians  of  nature's  food  supplies. 

After  knowing  many  classes  of  persons,  and  some- 
thing of  the  cooking  of  several  different  nationali- 
ties, it  is  my  judgment  that  we  Americans  have 
m.uch  to  learn  from  the  French  and  Italians  concern- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


37 


ing  healthful  cooking  and  pleasurable  eating.  Ad- 
mitting simplicity  in  foods  as  worthy  of  attention, 
we  must  not  confound  simplicity  with  crudity,  and 
I  fear  that  this  is  what  the  ordinary  enthusiast  over 
"  plain  living  and  high  thinking"  does.  I  have  seen 
many  apuny,  spiritless  child  of  so-called  hygienic  " 
parents,  which  was  suffering  from  nothing  but  insuf- 
ficient nourishment.  The  facts  concerning  foods  are 
plain  to  the  unprejudiced,  that  what  is  one  man's 
meat  is  literally  another's  poison,  and  we  cannot  lay 
down  arbitrary  laws  which  will  apply  to  all  in  this 
matter  of  eating,  because  different  temperaments  re- 
quire different  treatment.  The  object  of  eating  is 
nourishment  to  build  up  the  blood,  the  tissues,  the 
nerves,  the  muscles,  and,  consequently,  the  whole 
body.  I  know  men  and  women  who  are  perfectly 
nourished  upon  uncooked  foods — fruits  and  animal 
products,  milk,  cream,  cheese — and  an  occasional 
egg.  I  know  others  who  would  die  of  starvation 
upon  such  foods  in  a  year,  because  their  systems 
could  not  appropriate  enough  nutriment  from  these 
foods  to  counteract  the  waste.  Upon  general  prin- 
ciples, I  believe  that  more  persons  suffer  in  the  pres- 
ent day  from  being  insufficiently  nourished  than 
from  overfeeding. 

*'  I  never  allow  my  children  anything  but  good, 
plain  foods,"  was  the  proud  boast  of  one  of  these 
diet  enthusiasts,  who  compelled  everybody  at  her  ta- 


38 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


ble  to  begin  breakfast,  the  year  round,  with  oatmeal, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  heating  quaHties  of  this 
grain  render  it  a  most  undesirable,  if  not  even  dan- 
gerous, summer  food  for  all  who  are  in  the  least  in- 
clined to  humors.  Her  idea  of  the  proper  diet  was 
the  aforesaid  oatmeal  and  milk,  dried  or  fresh  fruit, 
mashed  or  boiled  potatoes  without  salt,  coarse 
breads,  eggs,  vegetables  boiled  in  plain  water  with- 
out seasoning,  and  occasionally,  in  winter,  beef- 
steak and  mutton.  Her  table  reminded  one  of  the 
definition  which  a  recent  medical  writer  gave  of  a 
plain  cook:  A  person  of  either  sex  who  brings  fire 
and  meat  and  vegetables  together,  and  lets  them, 
fight  it  out  among  themselves  for  a  dinner;  the  next 
bout  being  in  the  stomach  of  the  unfortunate  par- 
taker of  the  repast,  and  the  next,  perhaps,  with  the 
doctor  as  bottle-holder."  Her  children,  fed  on  this 
kind  of  plain  "hygienic"  cooking,  had  coarse,  sal- 
low skins,  thin  bodies,  hungry  eyes,  and  were  alwa3^s 
ailing — the  simple  truth  being  that,  although  they 
had  enough  in  quantity  to  eat,  they  were  not  nour- 
ished. The  facts  are,  that  plain  cooking  does  not 
accord  with  the  higher  chemical  knowledge  which 
belongs  to  a  more  complex  state  of  civilization.  The 
knowledge  of  how  to  compound  highly  nutritive 
foods  out  of  crude  ingredients  is  a  noble  art.  Deli- 
cately flavored,  daintily  served  dishes  aid  and  assist 
digestion  with  people  of  sensibility  and  refinement, 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY, 


39 


where  coarsely  prepared  foods,  no  matter  how 
wholesome  the  original  quality  of  the  uncooked 
substance,  pall  upon  the  appetite  and  cause  dyspep- 
sia through  the  physical  revolt  which  renders  assim- 
ilation impossible. 

Races  living  healthfully  upon  a  very  limited  diet 
prepared  from  few  articles,  without  seasoning,  gen- 
erally gain  much  physiological  advantage  from  their 
climate  and  out-of-door  exercise,  which  induces  great 
hunger,  and  a  not  too  fastidious  appetite  in  conse- 
quence. Cannibals  and  animals  need  no  seasoning 
with  their  food.  Eastern  nations,  of  a  slow  and  un- 
progressive  mental  character,  thrive  upon  a  fruit 
and  simply  cooked  grain  diet;  hard-working  peas- 
ants, of  the  stolid,  muscular,  unemotional  type,  get 
along  with  few  kinds  of  foods,  but  feed  plentifully 
upon  these,  as  the  animals  do;  while  individuals 
among  the  higher  civilized  classes,  who  go  in  for 
coarse  ingredients  and  plain  cooking,  from  enthusi- 
asm, are  very  generally  of  tough,  muscular  fibre,  with- 
out complex  aesthetic  and  nervous  sensibility,  and  are 
little  given  to  the  enjoyments  of  the  table  in  the 
way  of  elegant  trifling  over  dishes  for  the  sake  of 
companionship  and  conversation.  Indeed,  I  do  not 
remember  ever  to  have  met  one  of  these  persons  who 
had  what  might  be  termed  exquisitely  dainty  table 
manners,  such  as  belong  to  men  and  women  having 
subtle  and  more  highly  developed  taste  for  refined 


40 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


and  carefully  prepared  viands.  There  is  no  denying 
that  men  can  live  with  very  little  variety  of  cooking, 
and  thrive  physically,  if  the  foods  are  merely  whole- 
some and  not  appetizing,  provided  they  can  culti- 
vate a  certain  indifference  to  eating,'  and  merely 
feed  to  live;  but  this  fact  is  not  an  argument  that 
such  food  serves  the  best  purposes  of  complex  nour- 
ishment for  physical  and  moral  beauty,  any  more 
than  it  would  be  to  say  that  a  man  does  not  need  the 
education  of  books  and  art  for  a  high  form  of  life,  be- 
cause men  have  lived  healthfully  and  died  peacefully 
in  ignorance. 

Appetizingfoods, complex  foods,  refined  foods  care- 
fully prepared,  chemically  considered  foods,  are  the 
needs  of  the  differentiated  organizations  of  the  high- 
est types  of  civilized  man.  Go  into  a  mechanics'  or 
factory-hands' boarding-house,  a  sailors' mess-room, 
or  a  rough  farm  kitchen,  and  there  study  the  mean- 
ing of  the  hour  to  those  congregated  to  feed.  Ob- 
serve their  manners,  their  faces,  the  texture  of  their 
skins — even  their  flesh  and  bone  structure;  then 
saunter  into  the  cafe  of  one  of  the  high-class  res- 
taurants, employing  an  educated  cJicf  at  thousands 
of  dollars'  salary  yearly,  and  compare  the  manners, 
faces,  skins,  flesh  and  structure  of  these  people  with 
the  former,  and  conclusions  must  be  obvious.  Good 
foods,  such  as  the  former  never  enjoy,  help  to  give 
an  elegance  to  the  manners  of  the  latter,  to  refine 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


41 


the  expression  of  their  faces,  impart  clearness  to 
their  skins,  firmness  and  solidity  to  their  flesh,  and 
delicacy  to  their  physical  structure;  in  other  words, 
the  scientific  chemical  combination  of  food  substances 
produces  results  which  enter  into  the  atoms  of  the 
body  through  the  sources  of  nourishment,  becoming  a 
constituent  part  of  the  individual  economy.  For  this 
reason  cooking  is  a  noble  art,  and  should  be  studied 
for  high  and  holy  purposes. 

Undoubtedly,  fruits,  grains  and  vegetables  are 
susceptible  of  the  most  delicious  of  all  flavors,  and 
have,  when  properly  prepared,  great  nutritive  value; 
but,  served  as  the  ordinary  cook  serves  them,  the 
wonder  is  that  more  people  do  not  die  from  the  ef- 
fects. Meats,  above  all  foods,  need  the  exquisite 
touch  of  the  artist  cook  to  give  them  the  refined, 
savory  flavor  which  saves  meat-eating  from  utter 
grossness.  Everybody  recognizes  the  red-faced 
beef-eater  who  takes  his  meat  almost  raw,  while  the 
habitual  fat-pork  epicure  carries  his  sign-manual  in 
a  greasy  skin  and  swinish  expression. 

To  regulate  the  table  for  a  family  so  that  each 
day  shall  give  some  delectable  surprise  is  an  art  in 
itself;  but  the  housewife  is  well  repaid  in  the  cheer- 
ful temper  of  her  husband  and  children,  and  the 
looks  of  their  sleek,  well-nourished  bodies,  sparkling 
eyes  and  rosy  cheeks.  Breakfast,  except  for  the  very 
hard-working,  should  be  a  simple  meal  of  ripe 


42 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


fruits  served  upon  green  leaves,  with  toast  or  rolls 
in  season;  and,  out  of  season,  of  cooked  fruits,  with 
wheat,  rice,  barley,  or  hominy  which  has  been 
steamed  for  hours,  and  served  with  rich  cream; 
boiled  eggs,  omelets  with  fine  herbs,  and  delicately 
broiled  chops  or  fish,  if  one  must,  from  tradition,  have 
something  substantial. 

Lunch  properly  includes  only  soups  or  broths, 
breads,  fruits  and  salads.  Dinner  should  be  the 
principal  meal  of  the  day,  served  at  noon  for  people 
of  quiet  habits,  who  retire  very  early  at  night,  and 
at  evening  for  those  having  social  obligations.  The 
only  objection  to  eating  the  principal  meal  at  noon 
lies  in  the  fact  that  a  full  meal  should  be  followed 
by  sufficient  rest  to  properly  start  the  processes  of 
digestion  before  engaging  in  any  toil  which  has  a 
tendency  to  retard  or  stop  these  functions. 

Dinner  should  begin  with  a  soup,  to  prepare  the 
stc^ach  for  other  things;  and  as  every  housewife 
ought  to  know  how  to  utilize  vegetables,  tidbits 
and  savory  herbs  to  good  purpose  in  this  way,  there 
is  no  excuse  of  putting  on  style,"  or  incurring 
unnecessary  expense  or  trouble,  to  be  offered  as  an 
apology  for  its  absence  from  a  well-regulated,  if 
humble,  table.  What  follows  may  be  ever  so  sim- 
ple and  inexpensive,  but  must  be  well  cooked  and 
well  served.  A  poor  cut  of  meat  delicately  season- 
ed, and  cooked,  as  it  may  be,  in  any  of  a  number  of 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


43 


different  ways  until  tender  and  nutritious,  served  in 
its  own  gravy  with  a  single  deliciously  prepared 
vegetable,  followed  by  a  dish  of  Italian  spaghetti  and 
tomato  sauce,  with  grated  Parmesan  cheese,  and  af- 
terward a  salad  of  lettuce,  celery,  chicory,  cresses 
or  tomatoes,  dressed  with  oil,  without  any  other 
dessert  than  crackers,  wafers,  Brie  or  other  cheese, 
nuts  and  a  small  cup  of  black  coffee  (if  one  takes 
it),  will  make  a  thoroughly  good  and  refined  dinner, 
withal  appetizing,  nutritious  and  inexpensive,  an 
improvement  over  the  ordinary  plain  American  fam- 
ily dinner,  which  admits  no  comparison. 

It  is  not  enough  in  this  age  that  a  given  food  is 
wholesome,  and  contributes  to  pure  blood;  even  the 
savage  may  have  pure  blood  and  strong  muscles; 
perfect  foods  must  contribute  refined  sustenance 
to  the  higher  mental  as  well  as  physical  powers, 
and  by  stimulating  a  delicate  appetite  satisfy  an 
artistic  demand.  It  is  not  plainer  foods  whicli^he 
higher  races  require,  but  foods  better  and  more 
delicately  and  scientifically  prepared  and  served — 
foods  which  will  render  every  form  of  coarse,  gross, 
gluttonous  feeding  impossible  in  the  nature  of  things. 
The  family  table  will  then  become  the  meeting- 
place  for  refined,  elevating  conversation,  and  the 
diplay  of  each  one's  best  manners  and  most  unself- 
ish and  beautiful  traits  of  character. 


44 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


SLEEP. 

Coincident  with  the  importance  of  fresh  air  and 
good  foods  is  the  necessity  for  plenty  of  sleep. 
Without  this  natural  restorative  great  physical  beau- 
ty is  out  of  the  question.  Tired  nerves  and  broken- 
down  tissues  are  not  conducive  to  a  high  form  of 
beauty,  and  sleep  is  absolutely  essential  to  the 
proper  repair  of  the  exhausted  forces  of  the  body. 
The  necessary  amount  of  sleep  differs  with  different 
individuals;  some  persons  require  two  or  three  hours 
m.ore  sleep  a  night  than  others;  but,  upon  general 
principles,  it  has  been  decided  by  competent  author- 
ities that  "seven  to  eight  hours'  sleep  is  necessary 
to  the  proper  rest  for  the  ordinary  adult.  Children, 
of  course,  need  much  more.  In  fact,  no  child  under 
ten  years  of  age  should  be  permitted  to  sit  up  after 
€\g\X.  o'olock  any  evening,  and  an  earlier  hour  should 
see  the  baby  in  bed.  The  sleep  obtained  before 
midnight  is  the  most  restful,  and  contributes  most 
to  the  general  upbuilding  of  the  body;  neverthe- 
less, individual  hours  for  retiring  must  necessarily 
be  regulated  somewhat  by  one's  evening  social  du- 
ties and  pleasures. 

The  platitudes  indulged  in  by  some  very  well- 
meaning  people  about  early  rising  have  no  force  and 
weight,  in  point  of  fact,  unless  one's  hours  for  re- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


45 


tiring  are  such  that  they  are  sufficiently  rested  for 
rising  at  an  early  hour.  To  get  up  on  principle  'at 
a  certain  hour,  without  regard  to  the  sleep  ob- 
tained, is  worse  than  foolish — it  is  a  crime  against 
health. 

Many  a  nervous  child  has  suffered  a  lifetime  in 
consequence  of  an  iron- clad  rule  which  compelled 
it  to  get  up  at  a  certain  hour  all  through  childhood,  re- 
gardless of  its  needs  for  rest  and  recuperation.  A  safe 
course,  concerning  sleep  with  growing  children,  is  to 
leave  them  undisturbed  until  they  awake  naturally, 
and  refreshed.  All  young  children  should  have  a 
daily  midday  nap,  and  the  habit  with  any  one,  at 
any  age,  of  dozing  for  a  few  moments  after  the  noon- 
day meal,  is  valuable,  inasmuch  as  it  establishes  a 
complete  nervous  and  muscular  relaxation,  which 
is  physically  most  grateful  and  refreshing. 

The  habit  of  going  to  sleep  immediately  upon  re- 
tiring can  be  established  by  being  in  bed  punctual- 
ly at  a  certain  hour  for  a  number  of  weeks  together. 
When  one  wakes  in  the  middle  of  the  night  and  in  - 
clines to  lie  awake,  thinking,  let  him  get  up  and  walk 
the  room  for  five  minutes,  after  shaking  up  the  bed- 
clothing  and  giving  it  a  chance  to  air:  this  will  usual- 
ly induce  sleep.  If  this  method  fails,  the  towel-bath 
and  vigorous  rubbing  all  over  will,  almost  without 
exception,  produce  the  desired  result. 


46 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


FABRICS. 

I  am  yearly  more  and  more  convinced  that  the 
character  of  the  clothing  worn  next  to  the  skin,  and 
the  regularity  with  which  it  is  changed,  has  much 
to  do  with  health  and  physical  beauty.  The  great 
demand  of  the  last  few  years  for  woolen  undergar- 
ments, which  has  been  regarded  by  some  skeptics  as 
a  mere  fad,  is,  in  my  judgment,  the  natural  result  of 
deeper  investigation  and  sounder  ideas  concerning 
the  true  uses  of  clothing.  To  serve  its  purposes 
well,  clothing  must  be  protective.  In  winter  one  needs 
what  will  the  most  readily  aid  the  body  in  retain- 
ing the  natural  heat  generated;  and  in  summer  what 
will  exclude  outside  heat,  while  being  sufficiently 
porous  to  allow  the  excessive  moisture  of  the  body 
to  evaporate  most  quickly.  The  fabric  which  will 
do  this  must  be  a  practical  non-conductor  of  heat. 
There  was  a  good  deal  of  genuine  truth  in  the  Irish- 
man's wit  who  declared  that  "  What  will  kape  out 
the  could  will  also  kape  out  the  hate;"  and  there  is 
a  deeply  scientific  truth  in  the  claim  of  the  wool  en- 
thusiasts that  woolen  fabrics  are  best  suited  to  all- 
of-the-year-round  wear  next  to  the  skin.  The  only 
exception,  if  indeed  tliere  is  any,  is  in  the  case  of 
silk,  worn  for  rheumatic  affections  because  of  the 
tendency  which  it  has  to  excite  electrical  conditions 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


47 


peculiarly  beneficial  to  all  gouty,  neuralgic  and 
rheumatic  conditions. 

Linen  is  the  worst  possible  material  that  could  be 
worn  next  the  skin;  cotton  is  better,  but  by  no  means 
equal  to  wool  for  summer  wearing,  and  it  is  wholly 
unsuited  to  winter  wear.  The  softest  and  most  del- 
icate of  wool  materials  should  be  chosen  for  all-of- 
the-year-round  clothing  next  the  skin;  a  very  light 
weight  fabric  for  summer,  a  thicker  quality  for  spring 
and  autumn,  and  still  thicker  for  winter.  The  under- 
clothing should  be  changed  twice  a  week,  at  least, 
in  summer;  once  a  week  will  suflRce  in  winter,  if  the 
skin  be  kept  perfectly  clean  by  the  daily  bath  and 
friction.  No  garment  worn  during  the  daytime 
should  ever  be  worn  at  night;  but  what  replaces  the 
day  garment  should  be  of  the  same  fabric,  to  avoid 
colds  by  sudden  exposure  to  a  change  in  tempera- 
ture, and  a  gauze  woolen,  worn  under  the  cotton  or 
cambric  night-dress,  will  serve  the  physical  needs, 
while  admitting  the  artistic  daintiness  of  a  flowing 
white  garment  made  attractive  by  exquisite  needle- 
work and  fluffy  jabots  of  lace. 

The  complaint  that  woolen  shrinks  badly  is  a  just 
one,  and  this  fact  undoubtedly  stands  in  the  way  of 
its  universal  adoption  by  people  of  limited  means; 
nevertheless,  I  know  by  experience  that  care  in 
the  laundry  will  obviate  a  great  deal  of  the  dif- 
ficulty, while  the  benefits  to  health,  when  set  over 


48 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


against  expense,  are  worthy  of  most  serious  consid- 
eration. 

In  washing  woolens,  perfectly  clean  water,  very 
little  above  tepid,  must  be  used.  Soap  must  never 
be  rubbed  on  the  fabric;  but  a  good  borax  soap 
should  be  employed  for  a  suds,  and  in  such  suds  all 
woolens  may  be  quickly  washed,  and,  if  not  allowed 
to  soak,  there  will  be  very  little  shrinkage.  Imme- 
diately afterward  the  garment,  held  lengthwise  of 
the  fabricy  should  be  plunged  into  plain  (unsoaped) 
boiling  water  and  quickly  squeezed  out.  When 
thoroughly  coolod,  it  should  be  passed  through  an- 
other pure  water  of  a  moderately  cool  temperature, 
again  squeezed  as  dry  as  possible  (never  wrung) 
and  hung  in  the  sunlight  where  it  cannot  possibly 
freeze.  A  great  deal  of  trouble,  some  will  say;  but 
I  am  not  ready  to  admit  that  anything  which  serves 
so  important  a  purpose  as  a  general  aid  to  physical 
health  and  beauty  is,  by  comparison,  too  much 
trouble  to  take,  in  view  of  the  grand  object  to  be 
attained. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  BODILY  EXPRESSION. 


T  would  .seem  to  the  student  of 
physical  science  that  everything 
possible  to  be  said  upon  the  the- 
ory of  physical  devel- 
opment and  the  culture 
of  bodily  expression 
had  already  been  said. 
Since  the  revival  of  en- 
thusiasm upon  this  sub- 
ject, which  has  been 
steadily  growing  for  several 
years,  much  thought  has  been 
given  to  the  practical  side  of  the 
question,  and  many  books  have  been  written  in  the 
interest  of  one  system  of  exercise  and  another, 
some  by  the  really  able,  others  by  charlatans;  but 
all  having  the  one  desirable  tendency  to  emphasize 
popular  demand  for  knowledge  upon  this  subject. 
Dr.  Charles  Wesley  Emerson,  of  the  Emerson 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 

College  of  Oratory,  of  Boston,  who  probably  under- 
stands this  science  as  thoroughly  as  any  man,  well 
says:  "  Every  true  teacher  is  a  torch-bearer,  advanc- 
ing into  the  darkness.  We  cannot  add  to  the  gen- 
eral illumination  of  the  world  by  extinguishing  the 
torches  of  others.  No  great  artist  ever  spent  his 
time  in  criticism  of  other  artists.  Michael  Angelo 
was  once  asked  to  criticise  some  of  Raphael's  fresco- 
ing. He  said  nothing,  but  took  a  crayon  and  drew 
a  figure,  the  best  he  could,  and  then  replied,  *  I  criti- 
cise by  example.'  Michael  Angelo  emphasized  a 
gospel  principle.  Criticise  your  neighbor  by  exam- 
ple; by  living  better,  if  you  can." 

Dr.  Emerson  has  called  to  mind  a  grand  truth 
which  every  teacher  and  student  of  bodily  training 
would  do  well  to  remember:  that  the  excellence  and 
the  error  in  one's  work  stand  an  equal  chance  in  the 
critical  judgment  of  the  world,  and  whatever  is  of 
great  practical  value  is  sure  to  gain  recognition. 

Centuries  ago  the  ancients  studied  and  practised 
exercises  for  bodily  expression;  then  came  the  long 
lapse  of  ages  during  which  the  body  was  neglected, 
and  physical  proportions  were  degraded;  but  once 
again  the  popular  mind  is  aroused  to  the  necessity 
for  consistent  relations  between  the  physical,  men- 
tal, and  moral  faculties.  This  latter-day  awakening 
has,  no  doubt,  been  due  to  Francois  Delsarte  more 
than  to  any  other  person,  and,  much  as  one  may  re- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


51 


gret  that  his  work  has  been  so  often  misrepresented 
by  those  who  have  failed  to  grasp  its  full  scope  and 
purpose,  there  can  be  no  doubt  whatever  that  the 
Delsarte  Philosophy  of  Expression,  as  formulated  by 
Delsarte  himself,  embraced  certain  principles  for 
physical,  mental,  and  moral  discipline  of  a  high  and 
harmonious  character.  Every  true  student  of  aesthet- 
ic bodily  science  owes  him  a  debt  of  gratitude,  and 
while  deploring  the  almost  flippant  use  to  which  his 
name  and  memory  have  been  reduced  by  many  who 
know  nothing  of  the  grand  and  heroic  life-struggle 
of  the  man,  there  can  be  no  doubt  about  the  real 
value  of  his  work  to  humanity  at  large;  and,  fortu- 
nately for  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  laws  for  which 
he  lived,  there  are  a  few  persons  who  appreciate  and 
exemplify  them  to  an  extent  to  insure  the  incorpora- 
tion of  some,  at  least,  of  his  theories  into  the  practical 
actualities  of  every-day  life. 

The  man  was  a  student  of  human  nature  under 
every  imaginable  condition,  and  learned  the  lessons 
which  he  taught  from  unremitting  hard  work  and 
patient  delving  into  the  heart  of  human  mysteries 
and  high  places  and  low  down.  His  purpose  seems 
to  have  been  to  understand  and  logically  explain  the 
meaning  of  every  movement,  gesture,  look,  and  atti- 
tude, in  order  that  he  might  teach  others  how  to  build 
enduring  character  through  the  art  of  expression, 
and  its  reflex  upon  the  mind  and  morals. 


52 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


Without  entering  into  any  lengthy  discussion  of 
methods  of  physical  development  I  must  give  it  as 
my  judgment  as  a  careful  student  of  several  different 
systems,  that  more  good  is  accomplished  for  the 
average  mai^^or  woman  by  practice  without  apparatus 
than  with  it.  It  is  not  important  to  sound  develop- 
ment, certainly  not  to  well-rounded  harmonious  de- 
velopment, that  ones  hould  have  piled  up  prominent 
muscles.  The  practical  object  to  be  attained  is  gen- 
eral power,  not  the  abnormal  development  of  muscu- 
lar tissue  in  any  part  of  the  body. 

The  real  object  of  physical  exercise  is  the  highest 
possible  health  and  beauty  through  self-evident  laws 
of  the  human  economy.  The  first  step,  therefore, 
toward  the  intelligent  application  of  these  laws  is  an 
understanding  of  anatomy.  I  no  longer  believe  it 
possible  for  one  to  become  a  profound  student  of 
bodily  expression  without  first  gaining  a  thorough 
and  conscientious  mastery  of  the  anatomical  knowl- 
edge necessary  to  intelligent  exercise  of  certain 
muscles  and  nerve-centres  for  definite  objects:  and 
one  cannot  learn  how  to  preserve  a  proper  balance 
between  the  energy  of  supply  and  that  of  waste  with- 
out first  learning  the  names,  location,  and  collateral 
relations  of  the  different  muscles  which  develop  pow- 
er, and  those  which  waste  it.  The  harmonious  bal- 
ance of  these  functions  cannot  be  taught  by  imitation, 
but  must  be  taught  by  knowledge  to  avoid  disaster. 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY, 


53 


A  perfect  system  of  physical  culture  aims  at  in- 
creasing the  power  of  the  vital  centres;  unless,  how- 
ever, one  understands  all  about  these  vital  centres, 
the  effort  to  increase  muscular  power  may  result  in 
muscular  atrophy,  or  wasting  away  of  the  tissue,  until 
little  but  tendons  are  left.  For  this  reason,  physical 
training  must  be  undertaken  by  those  who  are  pre- 
pared to  teach  from  the  anatomical  as  well  as  the 
artistic  standpoint. 

It  does  not  follow  that  every  student  must  be  a 
specialist  in  anatomy  and  physiology;  but  every 
teacher  certainly  ought  to  understand  what  he 
teaches,  else  he  is  unprepared  to  safely  guide  the 
pupil  into  the  necessary  work  to  overcome  individ- 
ual defects  which  may  proceed  from  one  of  many 
different  causes,  and  need,  in  consequence,  special  ap- 
plication. To  produce  intelligent  alteration  in  bodily 
structure  requires  unquestioned  physical  knowledge 
directed  toward  given  ends. 

Every  school  board  should  provide  thoroughly 
and  scientifically  prepared  teachers  for  the  public 
schools  under  their  supervision,  to  give  lectures  on 
anatomy  and  physiology,  practically  illustrating  and 
articulating  by  physical  exercises.  It  is  a  reproach 
to  the  higher  civilization  of  the  day  that  any  youth 
of  either  sex  can  go  through  a  public  school  course, 
and  graduate  broken  down  in  bodily  health,  with  a 
stooping  gait,  weak  and  undeveloped  muscles,  dis- 


54 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


organized  nerve-centres,  and  a  predisposition  toward 
pulmonary  troubles  brought  on  by  impure  air  and 
unhealthful  bending  over  desks  for  study. 

One  of  our  well-known  college  professors  says: 
"  So  dense  is  the  present  ignorance,  not  only  of  the 
mass  of  the  people,  but.  also  of  a  large  section  of  the 
educated  portion  of  the  community  concerning  the 
elementary  truths  of  biological  science  in  general, 
and  of  psycho-physical  science  in  particular,  that  it 
would  be  well-nigh  hopeless  to  attempt  to  institute 
and  administer  any  thorough-going  system  of  phys- 
ical training  as  a  part  of  the  system  of  public  in- 
struction in  even  the  most  enlightened  States  of  the 
Union.  Until  the  modern  doctrine  of  bodily  exercise 
is  more  generally  apprehended,  we  can  only  look 
for  sporadic  efforts  and  fragmentary  and  discordant 
results  in  so  much  of  the  field  of  physical  training  as 
the  richer  and  more  advanced  colleges  and  univer- 
sities may  occupy.  The  Swedish,  German,  and 
French  systems  of  physical  training  and  educating 
teachers  in  gymnastics  are  well  worth  studying,  but 
the  greatest  present  need  is  to  educate  trustees,  com- 
mitteemen, teachers,  and  physicians  in  physiology 
and  hygiene." 

About  the  latter  clause  there  can  be  no  doubt,  but 
it  is,  after  all,  to  be  questioned  whether  the  work 
already  being  done  in  our  college  gymnasiums  and 
athletics  is  not  of  a  more  or  less  hit-or-miss  charac- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


55 


ter,  excepting  only  a  very  few  colleges  which  provide 
competent  instructors  to  teach  and  enforce  laws 
leading  to  understanding  of  the  true  science  of  the 
work.  College  athletics  are  far  too  generally  prac- 
tised in  a  spirit  of  fierce  contention  for  the  supremacy 
of  one  boat-crew  or  ball-team  over  another  of  a  rival 
college,  and  not  for  systematic  and  symmetrical  in- 
dividual benefits.  Often  these  exhibitions  degenerate  * 
into  brutal  displays  which  do  great  harm.  When 
one  reads  of  a  student's  coming  in,  staggering,  from 
one  of  these  violent  contests  for  useless  honors,  and 
later  on  that  he  has  been  compelled  to  drop  out  of 
his  class  because  of  physical  and  nervous  exhaus- 
tion, the  argument  is  certainly  not  in  favor  of  great 
personal  benefits  from  athletic  exercise  as  partici- 
pated in  at  universities. 

Unless  one  studies  the  true  meaning  of  bodily  de- 
velopment, it  is  easy  to  make  these  exhausting  mis- 
takes; while  it  is  by  no  means  easy  to  maintain 
equilibrium  between  physical  exercise  and  physical 
upbuilding,  between  effort  and  result,  unless  one 
learns  how  to  economize  vital  force  while  takine 
vital  movements. 

I  believe  the  education  of  books  to  be  of  less  value 
to  the  virile  life  force  of  the  nation  than  bodily  cul- 
ture, and  for  this  reason  the  public  school  should  be 
the  training-ground  of  bodies,  in  order  that  subse- 
quent mental  development  may  be  in  unity  with 


56 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


sound  first  principles;  but  the  science  must  be  taught 
as  part  of  a  regular  system  and  branch  of  compre- 
hensive anatomy. 

At  our  military  and  naval  academies,  young  men 
learn  to  walk  and  breathe  correctly.  If  it  is  neces- 
sary to  the  manhood  of  the  man  of  battle  that  he 
should  be  well-developed,  symmetrical,  and  com- 
manding for  the  forcible  protection  of  national  inter- 
ests, it  is  certainly  reasonable  to  conclude  that  the 
man  of  peace,  who  may  become  the  statesman  in  a 
country  like  our  own,  or  the  woman  who  will  become 
the  mother  of  statesmen,  soldiers,  and  men  and 
women  of  grand  civic  powers,  should  be  physically 
perfect  for  the  pride  and  greatness  of  the  nation. 

The  public  school  is  an  institution  for  the  benefit 
of  the  State  quite  as  much  as  for  the  individual,  and 
for  this  reason  it  should  be  made  a  channel  for  the 
dissemination  of  physiological  knowledge,  calculated 
to  control  disease  and  crime.  To  neglect  those 
means  of  correction  at  the  fountainhead  of  the  edu- 
cation of  youth,  which  would  logically  contribute  to 
the  permanent  welfare  and  glory  of  the  nation,  is 
worse  than  error  of  judgment;  rather  may  it  b)e  con- 
sidered criminal  negligence  of  a  high  and  holy  trust. 
Aggregate  national  integrity  of  bodily  power  and 
moral  stamina  depends  upon  individual  discipline, 
which  will  contribute  to  sound  bodies  and  alert  minds. 

The  ancients  understood  and  lived  up  to  this 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


57 


grand  truth,  and  their  ablest  philosophers  laid  laws 
for  life  which  were  far  superior  in  many  essential  re- 
spects to  those  popularly  accepted  by  the  intelligent 
of  the  present  day. 

Says  Plato:  "  The  bodies  of  the  trained  may,  bet- 
ter than  those  of  the  untrained,  minister  to  the  vir- 
tuous mind,  and  once  more,  when  a  body  large  and 
too  strong  for  the  soul  is  united  to  a  weak  intelli- 
gence, then,  inasmuch  as  there  are  two  desires 
natural  to  man,  one  of  food  for  the  sake  of  the  body, 
and  one  of  wisdom  for  the  sake  of  the  diviner  part  of 
us,  then,  I  say,  the  motions  of  the  stronger  getting 
the  better  and  increasing  their  own  power,  but  mak- 
ing the  soul  stupid  and  forgetful,  engender  igno- 
rance, which  is  the  greatest  of  diseases.  There  is  one 
protection  against  both  kinds  of  disproportion:  that 
we  should  not  move  the  body  without  the  soul,  nor 
the  soul  without  the  body,  and  thus  they  will  aid 
one  another,  and  be  healthy  and  well  balanced. 
And,  therefore,  the  mathematician,  or  anyone  else 
who  devotes  himself  to  some  intellectual  pursuit, 
must  allow  his  body  to  have  motion  also,  and  prac- 
tise gymnastics;  and  he  who  would  train  the  limbs 
of  the  body  should  impart  to  them  the  motions  of 
the  soul,  and  should  practise  music  and  all  philoso- 
phy, if  he  would  be  called  truly  fair  and  truly  good." 

It  is  seen  that  centuries  ago  this  profound  student 
of  immortal  truth  formulated  the  principle  that  the 


58 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


body  must  be  trained  with  reference  to  its  relation 
to  the  soul.  He  did  not  seek,  as  do  some  wise 
people  of  the  present  time,  to  degrade  the  use,  holi- 
ness, and  beauty  of  the  body  that  the  soul  might 
proclaim  its  superiority;  but,  recognizing  the  phys- 
ical body  as  a  higher  servant  of  the  soul,  he  taught 
that  true  interdependence  and  unity  which  makes 
the  harmony  between  correlating  forces  which  cannot 
by  any  possibility  be  separated;  and  in  this  respect 
Plato's  philosophy  was  superior  to  much  of  the  latter- 
day  religion  which  has  led  men  to  the  mortification 
of  the  flesh;  for  nothing  in  nature  can  be  more  cer- 
tain than  that  divine  wisdom  intended  man  to  be 
physically  as  well  as  morally  beautiful.  Nowhere  is 
proof  of  this  statement  wanting,  for  every  moral  and 
spiritual  degradation  brings  its  corresponding  phys- 
ical punishment.  Upon  the  faces  of  men  and  women 
who  live  out  of  harmony  with  high  moral  law,  whether 
upon  the  plane  of  sensualism  and  debauchery,  or 
selfishness  and  avarice,  excess  sets  the  stamp  which 
marks  the  disobedience.  Be  the  face  ever  so  regu- 
lar in  contour,  the  physical  degradation  is  written 
there  as  if  by  the  hand  of  God.  Let  us  not,  there- 
fore, make  the  mistake  of  neglecting  the  physical 
upbuilding  of  the  body  in  the  belief  that  the  more 
exalted  interests  of  the  soul  are  thus  conserved. 
Pain  and  disease  are  unnecessary,  and  retard  the 
finer  moral  development.     Sin  is  the  hereditary 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


59 


descendant  of  the  ignorance  which  scoffs  at  physical 
law. 

Attention  to  bodily  culture,  apart  from  its  profound 
significance  in  developing  enduring  character,  has  an 
artistic  and  aesthetic  side  which  is  worthy  serious 
thought.  Control  of  muscles  and  nerve-centres, 
which  helps  one  to  economize  the  undue  expendi- 
ture of  vital  and  mental  force,  brings  that  rare  and 
beautiful  self-possession  and  dignity  of  bearing  which 
is  so  valuable  to  one's  success  in  active  association 
with  the  world,  giving,  as  it  does,  a  certain  subtle 
but  no  less  positive  evidence  of  reserve  power  of 
mind  and  physique.  It  may  seem  of  little  practical 
consequence  to  the  casual  thinker  to  know  how  to 
poise,  stand,  walk,  breathe,  sit,  talk,  M/ith  ease  and 
grace,  and  without  self-consciousness;  but  that  rare 
charm  of  manner,  that  beauty  of  expression,  that 
magnetic  radiation  of  inward  power  which  certain 
profound  students  of  harmonious  bodily  and  mental 
culture  possess,  is  certainly  the  result  of  years  of 
just  such  systematic  study  and  practice  of  exercises 
as  the  skeptic  laughs  to  scorn  and  dismisses  as  an 
affectation  or  waste  of  time.  Few  persons,  because 
of  unfortunate  inheritance  and  environments,  are  en- 
dowed naturally  with  this  gift  of  physical  superiority; 
but  all  can  cultivate  it  to  a  greater  or  less  degree. 

In  taking  up  the  work  of  bodily  training  for  self- 
culture  I  should  advise  a  course  under  the  immediate 


6o 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


supervision  of  a  careful  and  conscientious  teacher,  if 
possible.  If  not,  then  procure  some  good  work  on 
anatomy  and  physiology,  and  afterward  the  illus- 
trated physical-culture  works  of  those  who  have  given 
serious  study  to  the  matter  of  compiling  and  explain- 
ing illustrations  for  practice.  Naturally  I  should  in- 
cline to  the  work  of  those  with  whom  my  own  mind 
and  study  have  been  in  full  sympathy,  teachers  who 
give  simple  exercises  for  home  practice  without  ap- 
paratus. Some  of  these  systems  are  more  helpful 
than  others;  but  one  soon  learns  to  judge  the  merits 
of  a  given  work  by  its  results. 

The  aim  of  any  really  comprehensive  system  of 
physical  culture  is  not  so  much  to  multiply  move- 
ments as  to  simplify,  so  that  a  great  deal  of  work 
may  be  condensed  into  a  few  exercises;  but  these 
must  prove  that  they  have  been  thoroughly  well 
considered  by  fulfilling  what  they  promise.  The 
body  must  be  exercised  in  every  part  with  reference 
to  the  whole;  and,  however  few  the  movements 
necessary  to  a  perfect  system  of  free  gymnastics, 
repetition  and  daily  practice  of  these  are  essential  to 
harmonious  vital  results. 

Above  all  other  considerations,  the  student  of 
physical  development  must  regard  his  work  as  with- 
out limitations,  else  he  will  surely  fall  into  the  too 
common  error  of  the  great  numbers  who  believe  that 
they  know  it  all  when  they  have  learned  to  perform 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


6i 


a  few  tricks  with  the  muscular  system.  In  a  profound 
sense  physical  development  is  without  end;  each  day 
bringing  new  revelations  of  harmonious  physical 
possibilities  after  one  has  learned  to  execute  all  of 
the  necessary  movements  faithfully  and  with  definite 
aim  and  precision.  To  free  the  body  so  that  it  will 
express  the  highest  emotions  of  the  soul,  unhindered, 
is  the  work  of  psycho-physical  culture,  and  to  this 
work  a  thorough  understanding  of  the  groupings  of 
muscles  and  their  relations  and  articulations,  and  the 
development  of  this  relationship  to  prevent  undue 
nervous  tension,  is  essential. 

Any  collection  of  exercises  which  fails  to  do  this 
falls  below  the  requirements  of  a  perfect  system. 

What  has  been  said  upon  the  subject  of  scientific 
physical  development  has  had  reference  to  exercises 
arranged  with  a  definite  object;  but  there  are  many 
general  exercises,  both  for  work  and  pleasure,  which 
serve  good  purposes  in  keeping  one  healthful  and 
happy;  and  while  exalting  the  necessity  for  system- 
atic, physical  work  based  upon  fixed  laws  for  the 
development  of  grace  and  unity,  I  must  not  be  un- 
derstood to  deprecate  or  underestimate  the  excel- 
lence of  any  vital  field  sport  if  not  carried  to  excess. 
It  is  true  that  the  value  of  these  exercises  lies  largely 
in  the  pleasure  of  the  moment,  in  cheerful  compan- 
ionship and  laughter,  and  the  fact  that  they  are  taken 
in  the  pure  air;  nevertheless,  running,  climbing. 


62 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY, 


riding,  tennis,  boating,  and,  most  of  all,  swimming, 
are,  when  practised  in  moderation,  helpful  aids  to 
physical  health,  especially  when  a  short,  loose, 
light-weight  costume,  which  gives  the  arms,  legs, 
and  vital  organs  freedom,  is  worn. 

While  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  one  may,  under 
certain  circumstances,  live  in  comparative  health  to 
old  age  without  the  knowledge  and  practice  of 
scientific  physical  exercises,  a  very  high  form  of 
grace  and  expression  will  be  impossible,  unless  one 
reaches  after  the  lofty  ideals  of  living  embraced 
within  the  complex  possibilities  of  human  destiny 
which  the  mind  presages  long  before  it  grasps  the 
full  significance  of  the  divine  reality. 


THE 


CHAPTER  V. 

SKIN — ITS  FUNCTIONS  AND 
CARE. 


HILE   there   are  certain  general 
rules  which  may  safely  be  laid 
down  for  the  care  and  preserva- 
tion  of  the  skin,  the  intelligent 
student  of  health  and  beauty  soon 
comes  to  the  conclusion  that  no 
other  organ  demands  more  careful 
study  than  this  one,  which  js  of 
such  wonderful  organiza- 
tion, and  so  exquisite 
and  complex  in  func- 
tion.that  it  may  be 
said  to  be  the 
mirror  of 
the  body. 
Certain  it 
is  that  the 


64 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


beauty  of  the  skin  depends  upon  health,  while  sound 
physical  health  is  impossible  unless  the  skin,  which 
is  an  organ  of  secretion,  excretion,  and  absorption, 
is  in  a  condition  to  perform  its  various  functions  with 
strict  integrity. 

The  construction  and  organization  of  the  skin 
has  been  minutely  and  exhaustively  described  in 
physiological  and  medical  text-books,  by  those  bet- 
ter calculated  to  do  it  than  I,  and  it  is  therefore 
not  necessary  for  me  to.  go  into  a  more  elaborate 
discussion  of  its  structure  than  will  serve  to  impress 
a  few  simple  truths  upon  the  minds  of  my  readers. 
It  will  suffice  to  an  intelligent  understanding  of  the 
importance  of  caring  for  the  skin  according  to  physi- 
ological and  rational  principles,  to  give  a  general 
idea  of  the  work  that  this  organ  has  to  do,  and  the 
methods  by  which  this  work  is  accomplished. 

The  skin  consists  of  three  principal  layers:  the 
subcutaneous  connective  tissue,  the  lowest  of  the 
three;  the  corium,  or  true  skin,  next;  and  the  epider- 
mis, or  scarf-skin.  Each  of  these  principal  layers 
has  its  own  subdivisions.  The  skin  has  the  power 
of  respiration,  of  imbibing  the  life-giving  oxygen  to 
a  limited  extent,  and,  in  about  the  same  proportion, 
of  eliminating  the  noxious  products  of  the  body  in 
the  form  of  carbonic  acid  gas.  The  skin,  even  more 
than  the  lungs  themselves,  expels — in  connection 
with   sensible   and   insensible  perspiration — acids. 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


65 


salts,  bile,  and  solid  matter  in  solution.  Whenever 
the  kidneys  and  liver  become  inactive  from  any 
cause,  extra  work  is  thrown  upon  the  skin,  and  as 
this  organ  is  so  largely  under  individual  control,  it 
follows  that  neglect  to  keep  the  skin  in  a  good  con- 
dition is  simply  neglect  of  a  most  important  means 
for  keeping  the  body,  which  is  always  in  process  of 
waste  and  repair,  in  health. 

Cleanliness  is,  therefore,  imperative,  for  it  is  not 
possible  to  keep  the  millions  of  pores  of  the  skin  free 
and  active  without  eternal  vigilance;  and  the  com- 
pensation for  care  devoted  to  bathing  and  friction  is 
a  bright,  blooming  skin,  and  a  general  sensation  of 
vitality  and  power.  In  this  connection,  let  me  say 
that  only  last  year,  in  conversation  with  me,  a  most 
intelligent  man  offered  an  objection  to  frequent 
bathing,  which  may  have  equal  force  to  many  other 
minds  than  his.  He  said:  All  of  this  talk  about 
constant  bathing,  of  one  kind  and  another,  which  is 
taking  such  hold  upon  the  popular  mind,  seems  to 
me  to  be  more  in  the  nature  of  a  fad  than  of  an  im- 
portant truth.  Look  at  the  hard-working  peasants 
of  many  different  countries,  who  enjoy  perfect  health 
and  seldom  a  bath;  many  of  them  have  glowing 
skins."  He  spoke  a  half-truth,  but  neglected  to 
give  the  explanation  of  this  apparent  paradox.  By 
hard  work,  long  hours  of  exposure  to  the  sun's  rays, 
daily  profuse  perspiration,  and  the  constant  friction 

5 


66 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


of  coarse  clothing  incident  to  their  labor,  these  peas- 
ants gain  the  same  physiological  results  which  the 
man  or  woman  of  more  sedentary  habits  can  only 
enjoy  through  the  free  use  of  hot  air,  water,  soap, 
towels,  and  deliberately  planned  friction.  These 
same  peasants  soon  become  pale,  sallow,  hollow- 
eyed,  and  subject  to  disease  of  one  kind  and  another, 
when  transplanted  from  their  native  fields  and  health- 
ful out-of-door  labor  to  the  close,  confined  atmos- 
phere of  factory  and  workshop. 

All  persons  cannot  enjoy  the  superior  advantages 
of  constant  exercise  in  the  fresh  air  and  sunlight, 
and,  consequently,  of  naturally  induced  perspiration; 
but  every  one  can,  if  they  will,  keep  the  skin,  with 
its  far-reaching  and  extensive  channels  for  the  elimi- 
nation of  effete  matter,  clean  and  free  to  perform  the 
functions  upon  which  so  much  depends. 

The  sebaceous  glands  and  their  ducts,  and  the 
sweat-glands  and  their  ducts  can  be  kept  in  a  state 
of  activity  and  purity  by  the  simplest  means,  and  it 
is  a  reproach  to  one  when,  from  unhygienic  habits, 
the  skin  becomes  unsightly  and  offensive.  It  is  true 
that  the  health  of  the  skin  is  largely  influenced  by 
the  internal  state,  and  any  serious  disturbance  of  the 
nervous  system,  particularly,  will  report  itself  in  this 
orean;  nevertheless,  there  is  a  law  of  action  and  re- 
action,  by  which  reciprocal  advantages  are  gained, 
and  whatever  acts  upon  the  skin  advantageously 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY 


67 


will  as  surely  improve  the  internal  condition.  When 
a  prize-fighter,  a  pedestrian,  an  oarsman,  or  any  other 
sportsman,  or  even  a  racer,  is  in  training,  the  skin  is 
made  a  vehicle  for  imparting  strength,  endurance, 
and  physical  vitality,  by  daily  systematic  rubbing 
down.  These  facts,  simple  in  themselves,  emphasize 
the  importance  of  the  same  kind  of  treatment,  in 
different  degrees  to  correspond  to  different  tempera- 
mental conditions  and  occupations,  for  the  great 
mass  of  men  and  women. 

Bathing,  as  practised  among  the  ancients,  un- 
doubtedly contributed  very  largely  to  their  superior 
physical  development;  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say 
that  the  introduction  of  a  thorough  system  of  public 
baths  into  the  populous  and  filthy  slums  of  our  large 
cities  would  soon  become  a  recognized  corrective 
of  many  of  the  morbid  physical  and  mental  tenden- 
cies which  eventuate  in  crime.  In  Japan,  all  classes 
bathe  much  more  than  do  the  people  of  other  nations, 
and  travelers  who  have  taken  the  trouble  to  inform 
themselves  upon  the  subject  say  that  even  the  pro- 
miscuous bathing  of  the  sexes,  and  the  simplicity  of 
the  costume  worn,  react  favorably  upon  morals. 
In  the  purifying  and  healthful  vapor,  and  the  agree- 
able splash  of  grateful  exercise,  baser  passions  are 
forgotten.  It  is  a  well-recognized  truth  that  what- 
ever interests  and  stimulates  the  higher  faculties  has 
a  corresponding  influence  in  subduing  and  controlling 


68 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


the  lower;  and  the  physiological  influence  of  water 
and  friction  upon  the  skin  extends  to  the  purification 
of  the  mind  as  well  as  body. 

Water  may  be  used  upon  the  skin  for  distinct  pur- 
poses. Hydro-therapy  comes  under  the  province  of 
the  physician,  and  relates  to  regular  systematic 
treatment  of  disease  by  water,  and,  in  this  connec- 
tion, requires  thorough  pathological  and  scientific 
knowledge.  Bathing,  upon  the  other  hand,  should 
be  practised  by  all  for  purposes  of  cleanliness,  and 
the  maintenance  of  vigor  and  health.  Ignorant  ap- 
plication of  hydropathy  to  delicate,  sensitive,  and 
diseased  people,  cannot  be  too  severely  condemned, 
while  the  practise  of  frequent  and  systematic  bath- 
ing is  to  be  recommended  for  all. 

But,  one  asks,  how  shall  the  layman,  who  wishes 
to  bathe  thoroughly  for  purposes  of  cleanliness  and 
vitality,  draw  the  line  between  his  own  and  the  phy- 
sician's province  }  With  the  best  intentions  is  it  not 
possible  to  use  cold  and  hot  water  in  a  way  to  harm 
not  only  the  skin  itself,  but  the  general  health  } 
Unhesitatingly  I  must  reply,  yes;  and  this  is  the 
reason  why  one  who  has  given  the  subject  much 
careful  thought  and  study  regrets  the  general  ten- 
dency upon  the  part  of  every  writer  who  can  wield  a 
graceful  pen  to  enlarge  and  lay  down  arbitrary 
rules  concerning  this  subject,  upon  which  they  gener- 
ally have  a  profound  fund  of  ignorance. 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


69 


Every  one  can  take  a  tepid  bath  without  injurious 
effects;  but  many  persons  cannot  take  a  cold  sponge, 
shower,  or  plunge  bath,  in  a  tub,  river,  or  the  ocean, 
without  a  serious  shock  to  the  nervous  system  and 
injury  to  the  general  health;  nevertheless,  a  class  of 
ienorant  enthusiasts  can  be  found,  who  recommend 
the  cold  bath  for  men,  women,  and  children,  without 
regard  to  health,  temperament,  or  consequences. 
Neither  can  everybody  take  a  hot  bath  with  im- 
punity. Persons  of  full-blooded,  apoplectic  tem- 
perament, those  subject  to  bursting"  headaches, 
and  especially  to  organic  heart  disturbances,  maybe 
much  injured  by  haphazard  indulgence  in  a  steam- 
ing bath  which,  to  the  thin,  wiry,  bilious  man  or 
woman,  would  prove  a  sedative  and  a  blessing. 
The  safe  rule  to  follow,  in  the  use  of  water,  is  to 
begin  the  daily  bath  (for  everybody  ought  to  be 
washed  all  over  thoroughly  once  a  day),  with  tepid 
water,  in  a  pail  or  sitz  tub,  good  Castile  or  olive-oil 
soap,  a  rough  wash-cloth  (never  a  sponge),  using 
plenty  of  muscle.  After  washing  sufficiently  with 
soap  and  water  to  cleanse  the  skin,  rub,  and  rub, 
and  still  rub  with  a  good  Turkish  towel  of  generous 
size,  until  the  skin  is  thoroughly  dry,  red,  and  ting- 
ling. No  harm  can  come  to  anybody  from  such  a 
bath,  taken  in  a  room  sufficiently  warm  to  avoid  a 
chill,  and  its  tonic  effects  are  wonderful.  After  be- 
coming used  to  this  kind  of  daily  tepid  bath,  one 


70 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


may  by  degrees  use  cooler  and  cooler  water,  until 
the  bath  can  be,  by  many  persons,  taken  quite  cold; 
but  in  each  individual  case  the  test  of  whether  good 
or  harm  is  being  done  lies  in  the  reaction.  If  the 
bath  is  followed  by  a  glow  and  sensation  of  renewed 
power  and  warmth,  it  has  done  good;  if  the  bather 
is  blue,  covered  with  "goose-flesh,"  and  rather  de- 
pressed in  spirits,  it  has  done  harm,  and  hot  blankets 
should  be  wrapped  about  the  body  until  warmth  has 
been  thoroughly  restored. 

Whether  one  may  venture  into  a  cold  plunge  can 
easily  be  ascertained  by  beginning  as  advised.  One 
who  does  not  react  from  the  cold  hand-bath  would 
run  great  risk  in  the  still  more  trying  cold  plunge. 

In  the  same  way,  one  can  test  the  virtues,  in  indi-^ 
vidual  cases,  of  the  hot  bath;  for,  singular  as  it  may 
seem,  where  the  circulation  is  weak  and  imperfect, 
one  may  come  out  of  the  hottest  water  and  shiver 
for  hours  together.  In  taking  a  full-length  hot  bath, 
wetting  the  top  of  the  head,  and  sitting  with  the  feet 
in  the  water  from  three  to  five  minutes  before  the 
whole  body  is  immersed,  is  an  excellent  plan  to 
avoid  rush  of  blood  to  the  head;  and  one  should 
never  neglect  the  tepid  spray  or  shower  from  a  rub- 
ber douche  immediately  afterward,  as  a  preventive 
of  colds.  Where  the  douche  is  not  at  hand,  pouring 
a  pailful  of  tepid  water  over  the  body  has  the  same 
effect.    The  immediate  cleansing  qualities  of  the  hot 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


71 


bath  are  undoubtedly  superior  to  either  the  tepid  or 
cold,  for  the  reason  that  all  foreign  matter  which 
has  secured  lodgment  in  the  pores,  or  upon  the 
scarf-skin,  is  more  soluble  in  hot  water  than  in  cold, 
although  the  tonic  effects  of  hot  water  are  far  less. 
A  full-length  hot  bath  should  not  be  taken  oftener 
than  once  a  week,  and  there  is  no  need  for  it  where 
a  proper  amount  of  friction  with  a  good  towel  is  used 
daily.  The  combined  influence  of  the  frequent  ap- 
plication of  water  and  friction  to  the  body  is  to  con- 
stantly renev/  the  skin,  rendering  the  epidermis 
pliant  and  fine  in  texture,  while  everything  which 
could  impede  the  natural  functions  of  the  corium,  or 
true  skin,  is  removed.    The  question  has  sometimes 

^been  asked  me  whether  the  constant  use  of  water  and 
soap  does  not  have  the  effect  of  destroying  the  nat- 

'  ural  oil  of  the  skin,  and  rendering  it  harsh,  colorless, 
and  unattractive.  The  answer  to  the  question  de- 
pends upon  the  kind  of  soap  and  the  temperature  of 
the  water  used,  the  amount  of  friction  employed,  and 
the  reacting  power  of  the  skin,  and  especially  upon 
avoidance,  after  bathing,  of  immediate  exposure  to 
rough  winds.  Where  the  skin  has  been  thoroughly 
dried  and  a  glow  established,  the  natural  oil  has 
been  healthfully  stimulated,  and  beneficial  results 
obtained.  It  is  possible,  however,  with  the  use  of 
caustic  and  impure  soaps,  to  remove  the  oil  to  such 
an  extent  as  to  injure  the  texture  of  the  skin,  while, 


72 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


upon  the  other  hand,  neglect  to  use  a  good  soap  and 
water  and  plenty  of  friction,  and  to  thoroughly  dry 
the  skin,  may  result  in  leaving  the  oil  to  clog  upon 
the  surface  after  it  has  served  its  purpose  of  lubricat- 
ing the  pores,  and  needs  to  be  removed  in  the  inter- 
est of  the  continued  and  healthful  function  of  the 
sebaceous  glands;  for  the  removal  and  renewal  of 
the  oil  of  the  skin  is  necessary  to  health,  and  espe- 
cially to  beauty. 

Much  artistic  damage  can  be  done  to  a  delicate 
skin  by  too  free  use  of  borax,  ammonia,  alcohol, 
and  other  such  "  simple,  harmless  aids  to  cleanli- 
ness"— so  considered  by  the  majority  of  people;  in 
fact,  because  of  the  possibility  of  overdoing  the  use 
of  these  things,  it  is  better  to  avoid  them  altogether, 
and  keep  to  pure  water  (rain-water,  if  possible),  soap, 
and  friction,  unless  something  different  is  prescribed 
by  a  physician  for  some  special  affection  of  the  skin 
which  requires  special  treatment:  and  the  chances 
are  that  none  of  these  things  will  be  ordered  when 
an  intelligent  physician  is  called  upon  to  correct 
even  a  simple  skin  trouble;  as  sulphur  and  other 
medicated  washes  are  so  much  more  effective  in  the 
cure  of  even  mild  forms  of  cutaneous  disease. 

In  writing  of  the  care  of  the  skin,  I  have  confined 
myself  to  the  simple  means  which  are  always  at  hand, 
even  in  humbler  homes  which  do  not  afford  the 
luxury  of  a  set  bath-tub;  but  I  hope  to  be  understood 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


73 


as  emphasizing  the  necessity  for  using  these  means 
thoroughly  and  vigorously;  for  the  ordinary  wetting 
of  the  skin  which  passes  for  a  bath  with  most  per- 
sons, is  not  by  any  means  sufficient  for  cleanliness 
or  tonic.  There  are,  indeed,  thousands  of  persons 
who  are  accustomed  to  what  they  are  pleased  to 
term  a  weekly  or  semi-weekly  or  even  a  daily  bath, 
who  are  never  clean.  These  persons  sponge  the 
body,  and  wipe  it  off,  without  friction,  with  any  ordi- 
nary towel  at  hnnd,  removing  the  superficial  dust, 
which  has  collected,  so  to  speak,  upon  the  surface  of 
the  skin;  but  as  to  the  skin  itself,  little  has  been  ac- 
complished. 

I  have  heard  women  with  sallow,  greasy,  dirty- 
looking  faces,  which  only  needed  a  series  of  good 
washings  to  be  thoroughly  restored  to  health  and 
beauty,  declare  that  they  bathed  regularly  and  care- 
fully, and  what  was  more,  they  believed  it  them- 
selves. No  one  bathes  thoroughly  who  does  not  get 
below  the  surface  with  the  results.  The  work  is 
done  upon  the  scarf-skin,  but  it  must  be  effective 
enough  to  reach  through  every  layer  of  the  true  skin 
and  its  connective  tissue  to  the  very  bottom,  or  the 
bath  has  failed  of  its  true  purpose — purification,  in- 
vigoration,  and  stimulation.  One  reason  why  I  al- 
ways recommend  the  patronage  of  the  Turkish  and 
Russian  baths  to  those  who  are  convenient  to  these 
luxuries  of  civilization,  and  can  afford  to  patronize 


74 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


them  is,  that  they  correct  the  evils  of  a  lazy  method 
of  home  bathing,  besides  which,  they  have  recognized 
curative  virtues  in  many  forms  of  chronic  disease.  I 
have  known  some  most  remarkable  cures  of  the  two 
extremes  of  obesity  and  leanness  from  the  use  of  hot- 
air  and  daily  sun  baths.  But  of  these  I  shall  write 
more  fully  after  giving  those  of  my  readers  who  know 
nothing  from  experience  of  any  of  these  methods  of 
bathing,  a  correct  idea  of  what  is  meant  by  modern 
Turkish,  Russian,  and  sun  baths. 

Students  of  history  are  familiar  with  the  stories  of 
the  magnificence  and  luxury  of  the  baths  of  the 
ancient  Greeks  and  Romans;  and  travelers  in  Orien- 
tal lands  bring  most  fascinating  accounts  of  the  sen- 
suous and  voluptuous  details  of  a  Turkish  bath  as  the 
Turks  themselves  enjoy  it,  especially  the  women  of 
the  harem.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  these  women  are 
noted  for  their  plump,  well-rounded  figures,  and  the 
satin-like  texture  of  their  skins,  the  result  of  their 
frequent,  systematic,  and  thorough  bathing  and  man- 
ipulation. But  with  these  excellences  their  beauty, 
which  is  purely  physical,  ends,  for  they  lack  the 
lithe,  active  grace  which  can  only  be  acquired  by 
independent  efforts  at  muscular  control,  and  more- 
over, this  sensuous,  yea,  even  sensual  beauty  which 
begins  and  ends  with  physical  proportion,  the  result 
of  extreme  physical  care,  is,  at  best,  an  unsatisfactory 
type.    These  same  proportions  are  equally  possible 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


75 


to  other  women  in  other  lands,  who  are  living  for 
the  nobler  activities;  and  were  it  possible  to  unite 
extreme  physical  attention  to  mental  and  spiritual 
expression  in  this  age,  we  should  see  a  race  of  men 
and  women  finer  in  body  and  more  exalted  in  mind 
than  any  who  have  made  the  higher  civilization  of 
the  past. 

I  do  not  despair  of  such  a  noble  destiny  for  future 
generations,  for  th«  tendency  of  the  present  time  is 
toward  better  understanding  of  natural  functions, 
and  the  scientific  adaptation  of  natural  agents,  such 
as  water,  sunlight,  air,  and  massage,  to  the  correction 
of  physical  and  mental  disability  out  of  harmony 
with  physical  and  moral  law.  The  Turkish  bath  is 
a  hot-air-bath:  the  Russian  is  essentially  a  vapor- 
bath.  In  taking  the  former,  the  bather  enters  a  hot 
room  and  there  remains  until  the  action  of  the  dry 
heat  upon  the  skin  has  induced  copious  perspiration: 
in  the  latter,  one  comes  into  immediate  contact  with 
the  vapor,  and  the  combined  action  of  heat  and 
steam  produces  a  moist  condition  of  the  body.  The 
Turkish  bath  is,  by  many,  considered  the  better  to 
reduce  too  much  flesh,  and  the  Russian  to  aid  in 
flesh-making,  and  my  own  observation  inclines  me 
generally  toward  the  same  theory,  although  I  have 
known  cases  where  the  effect  of  the  hot  air  of  the 
Turkish  bath,  followed  by  the  cold  shower,  and  the 
vapor  of  the  Russian  bath,  had  exactly  the  same 


76  PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 

effect;  the  hot  air  and  vapor  causing  perspiration, 
and  the  cold  water,  combustion  of  fatty  tissue. 

When  about  to  take  a  Turkish  or  Russian  bath, 
one  is  first  shown  to  a  private  dressing-room,  and 
there  provided  with  a  sheet  to  wrap  around  the  body. 
Most  persons  content  themselves  with  wrapping  this 
around  in  any  way  that  will  make  it  easiest  to  serve 
the  purpose  of  a  covering;  but  occasionally  one 
meets  a  woman  whose  artistic  Sense  converts  her 
sheet  into  the  flowing  drapery  of  a  classic  statue  with 
pleasing  effect.  Once  in  the  hot  rooms,  the  attend- 
ant seats  one  in  a  chair,  raises  the  feet  very  nearly 
level  with  the  body,  and  places  a  wet  cloth  upon  the 
head.  For  local  troubles  and  inflammation,  hot 
fomentations  are  applied  to  the  affected  parts.  In 
this  grateful  atmosphere  of  heat  and  languor  one  re- 
mains for  a  longer  or  shorter  time,  according  to 
necessity.  With  some  persons  perspiration  is  in- 
duced in  a  few  moments;  with  others  it  will  require 
half  an  hour,  or  even  longer:  but  one  should  never 
remain  until  faint.  My  advice  to  those  taking  the 
baths  for  the  first  time,  is  to  remain  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes.  The  feeling  of  luxuriousness,  the  exquisite 
abandonment  to  perfect  repose  and  tranquil  warmth 
is  so  grateful  that  one  is  often  tempted  to  weaken 
one's  self  at  the  very  start;  but  such  indulgence 
should  be  avoided,  as  the  beneficial  effects  will  other- 
wise be  wholly  lost,  and  although  the  first  touch  of 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


11 


the  hot  room  is  one  of  delicious  languor,  in  which 
dreamy  imagination  and  external  sensation  meet 
and  produce  pictures  which  lift  the  mind  out  of  the 
dreary  commonplaces,  this  first  soothing  touch  is  fol- 
lowed by  a  sense  of  vitality  that  renews  active  ener- 
gies and  stimulates  new  ambitions. 

From  the  hot  room  the  bather  is  conducted  to  a 
marble  room,  where  the  sheet  is  thrown  aside  in 
order  that  the  manipulator  may  lather,  rub,  knead, 
and  spray  the  body.  A  good  many  sensitive  people 
still  object  to  the  baths  because  of  this  display  of  the 
person;  but  such  objections  can  hardly  carry  serious 
weight,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  attendants  are 
always  perfectly  indifferent  to  one's  condition,  and 
apparently  unconscious  of  the  difference  between  a 
nude  and  a  clothed  figure. 

I  once  put  the  question  to  my  shampooer,  "Do 
you  not  find  a  great  difference  in  the  agreeable  and 
disagreeable  qualities  of  the  flesh  which  you  are  com- 
pelled to  knead  "  and  she  replied:  "  I  do  not  pay 
any  attention  to  it  whatever.  I  take  my  ladies  one 
after  another,  as  they  come  here,  and  rub  them 
scientifically,  but  you  would  scarcely  believe  that 
this  process  has  become  so  mechanical,  through 
familiarity,  that  I  have  ceased  to  be  conscious  of  any 
difference  between  them,  or  even  of  the  fact  that  they 
are  unclothed.  I  have  often  wondered,  if  I  were  to 
meet  a  nude  figure  upon  the  street  in  a  warm  sum- 


78 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


mer's  day,  if  it  would  cause  me  a  shock.  I  do  not 
think  so;  indeed  I  no  longer  see  any  immodesty  in 
nudity,  and  if  it  were  a  matter  of  cotirse  with  every- 
one, it  zvonld  no  longer  be  shocking^ 

Of  this  we  have  no  better  illustration  than  is  af- 
forded by  the  fact  that  ultra-society  women  display 
the  bosom — the  most  suggestive  part  of  the  person 
— with  impunity,  and  without  the  sensation  of  im- 
modesty, which  would  cause  the  retired  little  woman, 
who  knows  nothing  of  big  balls  and  grand  recep- 
tions, to  blush  and  hid'e  her  face  with  shame.  It  is 
very  largely  the  difference  in  education. 

There  can  be  no  doubt,  whatever,  that  the  great 
lesson  of  morality  to  be  learned  in  the  future  will 
embrace  the  understanding  that  morality  and  im- 
morality are  states  of  action  instead  of  being,  and  I 
hope  that  I  may  live  to  see  the  day  when  parents 
will  teach  innocent  children  the  divine  use,  holiness, 
and  beauty  of  their  bodies,  instead  of  filling  their 
minds  with  vulgar  prejudice. 

In  the  spraying-room  one  is  invited  to  lie  upon  a 
marble  couch,  while  the  attendant  kneads  away  the 
dead  cuticle  which  has  been  softened  by  the  heat. 
After  this  process  the  body  is  lathered,  and  rubbed 
with  a  brush,  and  then  sprayed  with  warm  water, 
which  is  gradually  decreased  in  temperature  until 
quite  cold.  If  one  aids  this  process  by  personal 
effort,  rubbing  and  manipulating  the  different  mem- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


79 


bers  as  the  spray  falls  upon  them,  the  refreshing- 
qualities  of  the  bath  will  be  greatly  accentuated. 
When  one  is  a  swimmer,  a  cold  plunge,  with  a  num- 
ber of  vigorous  strokes,  and  the  exercise  of  diving, 
plunging,  and  floating,  will  aid  the  circulation  of  the 
blood.  After  leaving  the  spraying-room  one  lies 
for  half  an  hour  upon  a  couch  to  cool  the  body 
thoroughly  before  dressing.^'  When  one  wishes  to 
gain  flesh,  the  Roman  bath,  which  is  really  cocoanut- 
oil  applied  to  the  skin  for  an  hour,  and  thorough- 
ly rubbed  into  every  pore,  will  prove  very  beneficial; 
or,  if  one  desires  to  decrease  weight,  dry  massage  is 
employed  to  harden  the  flesh,  and  give  tone  and 
elasticity  to  the  muscles. 

I  heartily  recommend  these  baths  for  overworked, 
sedentary,  and  mentally  taxed  people,  for  their  effects 
are  not  only  immediate  in  reducing  the  pressure  of 
blood,  relaxing  the  nerves,  and  quickening  the  skin, 
but  they  stimulate  the  liver  and  kidneys,  and  open 
the  way  for  the  elimination  of  impurities  which  clog 
the  system  and  produce  chronic  disease,  giving  per- 
manent relief,  often,  when  medicines  have  failed. 

After  the  "bath  of  vapor,  water,  and  friction,  air 
and  sun  baths  do  great  good  to  the  skin,  and,  through 
it,  to  the  general  health.  Human  beings,  like  plants, 
need  the  combined  effects  of  water,  air,  and  sun- 
light. Nervous  and  mental  prostration  will  yield 
more  readily  to  the  hygienic  qualities  of  these  power- 


8o 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


ful  natural  forces  than  to  drugs.  The  two  extremes 
of  leanness  and  obesity,  as  I  have  ah'eady  stated,  are 
greatly  affected  by  water  wisely  applied;  and  direct 
exposure  to  solar  rays  is  equally  beneficial.  The 
sunlight  gives  us  in  a  most  refined  form  the  proper 
elements  of  sodium,  iron,  magnesium,  and  carbon, 
all  of  which  are  essential  to  perfect  health.  Exposure 
to  the  sun  stimulates  the  nutrient  functions  and 
quickens  the  blood-force  into  such  activity  as  to 
prevent  any  excessive  forming  of  adipose  tissue. 

It  is  quite  possible  for  dwellers  in  the  country  to 
arrange  for  a  daily  sun  and  air  bath;  but  it  is  less 
easy  for  those  confined  within  the  brick  walls  of  a 
city;  still,  it  is  a  truism  worth  repeating  here,  that 
''where  there  is  a  will  there  is  a  way,"  and  Dr.  Bab- 
bitt, of  New  York,  tells  us  of  a  wonderful  instrument, 
the  thermolume,  which  has  the  power  to  concentrate 
the  sun's  force  and  heat  so  that  a  very  little  can  be 
utilized  to  good  purpose,  producing  results  which 
are  marvelous  in  extent.  Where  the  sunlight  is  ab- 
solutely excluded  from  a  dwelling,  he  tells  us  that  a 
reflecting  apparatus  can  be  used  to  receive  electric 
lieht  in  connection  with  the  same  thermolume, 
which  will  give  a  vitalizing  power  equal  to  that  of 
the  sunlight,  and  the  doctor  proves  this  statement 
by  quoting  the  success  of  Professor  Siemen  (of  Eng- 
land), in  ripening  fruits  in  midwinter  by  the  arc-light, 
as  rapidly  as  could  have  been  done  by  sunlight. 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


81 


But  it  must  not,  by  any  means,  be  supposed  that 
I  advise  the  use  of  artificially  produced  heat  or  light 
where  natural  forces  are  possible;  indeed,  I  strongly 
recommend  solar  architecture  for  our  city  houses — 
solariums,  where  the  nineteenth-century  dweller 
within  brick  walls  may  enjoy  the  freedom  and  bene- 
fits of  nude  exposure  to  the  sunlight  and  air,  as  did 
the  Romans  of  centuries  ago. 

The  idea  of  a  roof  promenade  to  one's  house  is 
certainly  natural  and  practical,  and,  were  a  little 
thought  given  to  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  such 
an  addition  to  home  comforts,  no  doubt  solariums 
and  pavilions  would  grace  many  a  roof.  The  pavilion 
for  winter  use,  when  direct  exposure  to  the  air  would 
be  too  severe,  should  be  built  in  the  middle  of  the 
enclosure  with  glass  upon  four  sides;  here  a  person 
would  sit  or  recline  at  full  length  and  enjoy  warmth 
and  invigoration  and  skin  tonic  at  will. 

What  the  city  dweller,  under  present  conditions, 
loses  in  the  matter  of  sunlight  and  air  is  made  up  in 
better  water-bathing  facilities  than  the  resident  of 
country  towns  and  villages  usually  enjoys;  yet,  as  has 
already  been  shown,  the  city  house  may  easily  be 
provided  with  its  solarium  and  pavilion,  and  it  is 
equally  certain  that  a  little  ingenuity  and  very  little 
expense  would  provide  the  country  resident  with 
the  most  approved  appliances  for  a  good  vapor-bath. 
All  that  is  needed  is  a  box  of  ever  so  rough  con- 

6 


82  PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 

struction,  of  a  little  less  height  than  that  of  a  person 
seated. 

This  should  be  made  with  straight  sides  and  back, 


and  closed  with  folding-doors  in  front,  which  should 
slant  backward,  leaving  a  square  space  large  enough 
for  the  neck  of  a  bather.    Inside  the  box  a  wooden 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


83 


chair,  with  a  solid  front  coming  down  to  the  bottom 
of  the  box  should  be  placed;  under  the  chair  a  pail 
for  boiling  water,  and,  once  the  bather  is  seated  in 
the  chair,  the  square  top  of  the  box  should  be  closed 
by  two  short  pieces  of  thin  board  semicircularly  cut 
out  upon  one  side,  to  fit  to  the  neck  of  the  bather. 
Put  a  towel  about  the  neck  to  save  escape  of  vapor. 
The  hot  water  in  the  pail  may  be  renewed  as  often 
as  one  desires,  and  in  this  way  a  perfect  vapor-bath 
can  be  secured  at  a  cost  so  small  as  to  place  it  with- 
in the  reach  of  the  humblest  of  persons. 

Upon  leaving  the  vapor,  a  pail  of  tepid  water 
should  be  poured  over  the  bather;  then  (if  experi- 
ence has  proven  that  the  reaction  will  warrant  it), 
one  of  still  cooler  water,  the  whole  to  be  followed 
by  brisk  friction  with  a  coarse  towel,  and,  if  possi- 
ble, a  half-hour's  rest  and  sleep. 

I  know  of  an  instance  where  an  ordinary  dry- 
goods  box  was  made  to  serve  the  purpose,  except 
that  in  this  case  the  bather  took  a  sulphur  instead 
of  . a  pure  vapor  bath.  A  small  tin  shelf  was  placed 
inside  the  box;  under  it  a  cup  of  alcohol,  which  was 
ignited;  on  the  shelf,  above  the  cup  of  alcohol,  a 
small  saucer  of  sulphur;  and  the  result  was  a  hot 
medicated  bath,  which  induced  profuse  perspiration, 
and  would  do  great  good  to  any  one  suffering  from 
rheumatic  or  skin  troubles. 

I  quote  these  different  possibilities  for  bathing,  to 


84 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


show  that  the  health-giving  properties  of  heat,  wa- 
ter, and  vapor  need  be  by  no  means  the  exclusive 
enjoyment  of  the  wealthy,  who  have  well-appointed 
bath-rooms,  and  the  mone^y  to  patronize  luxurious 
Turkish  and  Russian  baths. 

Summing  up  the  principal  means  for  acquiring  a 
glowing,  healthful  skin,  we  find  that  water,  vapor, 
sunlight,  air  and  friction,  are  the  essentials,  and 
these  are  within  the  reach  of  all. 

No  doubt  many  of  my  readers  will  be  disappoint- 
ed that  I  do  not  give  a  long  list  of  recipes  for  con- 
cocting various  washes  and  cosmetics  whose  vir- 
tues I  could  recommend;  but  simple  honesty  and 
rational  study  of  the  skin  are  against  such  a  course, 
and  I  must  leave  it  to  persons  having  other  ends 
than  intelligent  helpfulness  to  serve,  to  impose  upon 
the  credulity  and  ignorance  of  those  who  believe 
that  vulgar  washes  and  paints  can  be  made  to  pro- 
duce the  exquisite  fineness  of  texture,  brilliance  of 
color,  and  dazzling  translucency  of  the  complexion, 
which  are  the  visible  evidences  of  health,  vigor, 
cleanliness  and  refined  care  of  the  skin. 

I  will  not  deny  that  there  are  very  simple  unguents 
which  will,  when  properly  applied,  provide  a  certain 
stimulus  to  torpid  skins;  but  these  are  not  half  as 
efficacious  as  what  I  have  already  described,  and 
why  give  the  preference  to  the  poorer  instead  of  the 
better  aids  to  beauty  1    For  example,  almond-oil, 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


8s 


well  rubbed  into  the  face  at  night,  has  a  softening, 
emollient  influence;  but  so  does  the  free  use  of 
soap,  water  and  hand-friction,  and  the  latter  will 
not  do  any  harm,  while  there  is  decided  danger  to 
certain  skins  that  the  hair  follicles  may  be  stimu- 
lated to  such  a  degree  that  the  soft  down  of  the  lips 
and  cheeks  will  become  an  annoying  and  unsightly 
growth.  Some  fairly  harmless  lotions  are  recom- 
mended for  cleansing  purposes;  but  nothing  is  so 
effective  as  rain  or  distilled  water,  good  soap  and 
friction,  which  brings  us  back  again  to  our  original 
position.  Face  -  powders,  lotions  and  cosmetics 
cover  up,  to  a  degree,  but  they  do  not  remove  any 
blemish  of  disorganized  tissue. 

Sunburn  and  freckles  may  be  safely  treated  with 
benzoin  and  cold  water,  two  teaspoonfuls  of  the  for- 
mer to  a  pint  of  the  latter.  Bathe  freely  for  several 
minutes,  morning  and  night,  avoiding  the  eyes.  Al- 
low the  mixture  to  dry  upon  the  skin  at  night,  but 
wipe  off  carefully  in  the  morning  before  it  has 
dried  in. 

If  one  insists  upon  some  kind  of  make-up  for  the 
face,  the  only  absolutely  harmless  treatment  that  I 
know  is  an  application  of  pure  cold-cream  (be  sure 
and  get  that  bearing  the  name  of  some  reliable 
chemist)  wiped  into  the  skin  gently  with  a  soft 
linen.  This  forms  a  surface  for  the  rouge  and  pow- 
der, and  prevents  the  pores  of  the  skin  from  be- 


86 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


coming  filled  and  clogged  with  the  foreign  matter 
applied. 

The  art  required  for  painting  "  milady's  "  portrait 
is  nothing  compared  to  that  required  to  rouge  mi- 
lady's "  face  so  that  it  will  not  look  loud  and  vulgar. 
I  have  never  seen  it  well  done  by  but  two  women, 
and  with  them  I  confess  that  the  art  was  so  perfect 
I  was  fain  to  forget  the  artifice.  In  each  instance 
the  cold  -  cream  was  used  as  suggested,  and  the 
cold-cream,  made  pink  by  powdered  carmine,  was 
the  coloring-matter  for  the  cheeks,  while  a  simple 
powder  of  prepared  chalk  and  carbonate  of  magne- 
sia, dusted  over  the  whole  face  and  carefully  wiped 
off,  left  no  suggestion  of  grease  or  paint. 

This  make-up  should  be  carefully  washed  off  at 
night,  however,  with  warm  water  and  soap. 

Such  blemishes  upon  the  face  as  moles  and  hairs 
should  never  be  treated  except  by  the  electric  nee- 
dle of  a  skilled  dermatologist.  Any  bungling  with 
this  kind  of  treatment  is  fatal  to  the  purpose,  and 
injurious  to  the  skin. 

A  mole  upon  the  arm  or  neck,  which  stands  out 
prominently,  may  safely  be  taken  off  by  tightly 
tying  a  hair  from  the  head  about  it,  and  allowing  it 
to  drop  off,  as  it  will  in  a  few  days. 

Many  women  are  troubled  with  black  specks  upon 
the  face,  which  are  known  as  blackheads,  and  to  re- 
move them  they  resort  to  squeezing  and  pinching. 


PHYSTCAL  BEAUTY.  87 


which  very  often  leaves  the  face  disfigured  and  irri- 
tated. .As  a  rule,  these  black  points  are  the  result 
of  torpidity  of  the  skin,  and  can  be  permanently  re- 
moved by  carefully  washing  the  face  with  warm 
water  and  soap  until  the  cuticle  has  been  softened, 
when  a  hollow  key  or  tweezers  may  be  used  to  press 
them  out.  After  this,  the  face  should  be  treated 
daily  to  stimulating  hand-friction,  until  the  skin  has 
been  restored  to  normal  activity.  When  these 
points  amount  to  acne,  or  a  general  filling  up  of  the 
sebaceous  ducts,  the  cure  is  long  and  tedious,  and 
may  involve  good  medical  treatment  for  the  general 
constitution,  as  well  as  scrupulous  attention  to  hy- 
gienic care  of  the  face  itself  It  is  almost  fatal  to  the 
subsequent  beauty  of  the  skin  to  resort  to  advertised 
nostrums  for  local  application  at  such  a  critical  time. 

Where  one  cannot  have  competent  advice  for  the 
individual  case  of  acne,  it  is  quite  safe  to  try  a  daily 
steaming  of  the  face  for  twenty  minutes,  one  day 
with  pure  steam,  the  next  with  sulphur,  as  this  proc- 
ess is  sure  to  open  the  pores,  and  give  the  clogged 
matter  a  chance  to  escape.  The  result  of  this  treat- 
ment will  be  to  make  the  face  look  worse  for  the 
time;  but  if  persisted  in,  the  most  obstinate  cases 
will  gradually  yield. 

In  all  cases  of  skin  disease  where  the  pores  are 
closed,  the  matter  must  be  set  free;  there  is  no 
other  way. 


88 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


To  steam  the  face,  a  good-sized  vessel  should  be 
filled  with  hot  water,  and  placed  upon  a  table.  The 
patient  should  take  a  seat  with  the  face  bent  over 
the  vessel  in  such  a  manner  that  the  head  can  rest 
easily  upon  the  palms  of  the  hands.  A  large  towel, 
or  something  sufficient  to  confine  the  steam,  should 
be  thrown  over  the  head.  In  wiping  the  face  after- 
ward, care  should  be  taken  to  do  it  thoroughly 
enough  to  remove  everything  that  may  have  exuded, 
however  invisibly,  from  the  torpid  pores;  but  much 
friction  would  be  too  harsh  at  the  moment.  Later 
in  the  day,  when  the  heat  has  subsided,  cold  water 
and  friction  should  be  applied,  to  assist  in  further 
stimulating  the  action  set  up  by  the  steam. 

When  one  uses  the  sulphur,  a  copper  vessel  con- 
taining hot  water  should  be  employed.  Over  this, 
a  tin  shelf  with  a  hot  cup  containing  the  sulphur. 
The  steam  and  heat  from  the  water  will  penetrate 
the  sulphur,  as  the  shelf  will  allow  the  escape  of  the 
heat  and  vapor  upon  two  sides.  This  is  a  wonder- 
fully purifying  and  efficacious  remedy  for  all  skin 
diseases  ;  but  the  general  health  must  be  very  care- 
fully watched,  and  every  aid  given  to  restoration 
of  the  normal  elements  of  secretion  and  excretion 
meanwhile,  and  to  the  proper  purification  and  oxy- 
genation of  the  blood.  In  these  matters,  sunlight, 
exercise,  pure  air,  and  nutritious  foods  play  more 
important  parts  than  do  drugs. 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


89 


Every  wise  woman  knows  that  tight  clothing,  and 
shoes  which  are  too  small  for  the  feet,  are  apt  to 
redden  the  nose,  or  give  it  a  pinched  and  blue  look, 
while  the  network  of  scraggy  red  lines,  like  red 
threads,  running  through  certain  complexions,  or 
the  spotted  appearance  of  others,  may  as  often  be 
traced  to  clothing  which  impedes  circulation  in 
women,  as  to  free  wine  habits  in  men.  Each  reader 
can  point  his  own  moral. 

Wrinkles  can  only  be  successfully  treated  by 
manipulation  in  a  contrary  direction.  This  treat- 
ment, if  persisted  in,  will  work  wonders  with  all 
except  those  of  extreme  old  age.  Most  incipient 
wrinkles  are  caused  by  a  relaxed  and  unhealthy 
condition  of  the  muscles  and  nerves  of  the  skin,  and 
by  the  deplorable  but  almost  universal  habit  of  in- 
dulging in  grimacing  and  unmeaning  contortion  of 
the  face  in  speaking.  Many  an  ugly  line  will  dis- 
appear by  cultivating  a  sweet  and  reposeful  expres- 
sion of  the  face,  and  especially  by  modulating  the 
habit  of  laughing  in  such  a  way  as  to  pucker  the 
skin  about  the  eyes  and  corners  of  the  mouth;  while 
strengthening  of  the  muscles  by  scientific  massage 
cannot  be  recommended  too  highly  for  overcoming 
these  fatal  foes  to  beauty. 

Sometimes,  in  traveling,  one  finds  it  impossible  to 
get  pure,  soft,  or  even  clear,  clean  water,  for  bath- 
ing purposes,  and  it  is  well,  in  starting  upon  a  jour- 


90 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


ney,  to  provide  against  interruption  to  the  healthful 
functions  of  the  skin,  for,  by  taking  along  a  bottle 
of  rose-water  to  wipe  the  face  off  under  such  circum- 
stances, and  a  box  of  cerate  or  cold-cream,  using 
whatever  water  one  can  procure  for  bathing  essential 
parts  of  the  body  to  save  unpleasant  odors.  The  cold- 
cream  and  a  rough  towel  with  friction  can  be  made 
to  answer  the  purposes  of  a  water-bath — it  is,  indeed, 
a  towel-bath — and  the  rose-water  used  for  the  face 
with  friction  will  keep  the  complexion  from  torpid- 
ity for  weeks  together.  A  good  brisk  rubbing  all 
over  once  a  day  with  a  flannel  is  very  stimulating 
and  cleansing  to  the  skin  when  traveling:  and,  above 
everything  else,  do  not  neglect  the  offices  of  nature, 
as  no  other  cause  will  so  soon  give  the  complexion 
a  muddy  and  offensive  color  and  odor. 

In  recommending  sun  and  air  for  the  skin,  I  must 
not  be  supposed  to  mean  deliberate  exposure  of  the 
face  to  the  blistering  rays  of  a  midday  summer's 
sun,  nor  to  winds  which  will  give  the  tanned  and 
hide-like  appearance  that  distinguishes  some  farm- 
laborers  and  seamen,  but  a  reasonable  indulgence  in 
the  tonic  effects  of  sun  and  air  under  favorable  con- 
ditions. 

When  one  cannot  avoid  the  irritating  effects  of 
rough  and  inclement  winds,  a  little  cold-cream  well 
rubbed  into  the  face,  and  sprinkled  with  prepared 
chalk  carefully  wiped  off,  will  serve  for  an  immediate 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


91 


protection.  Never  use  hot  water  for  the  face  just  be- 
fore going  into  the  air,  especially  in  winter,  as  rough- 
ness and  redness  will  surely  follow.  The  action  of 
hot  water  upon  the  face  is  to  expand  the  capillaries, 
causing  the  blood  to  flow  to  the  surface  without 
having  any  reflex  action.  With  cold  water  there  is 
an  opposite  and  exhilarating  effect,  as  the  blood 
moves  away  from  the  surface,  and  returns  with  a 
tonic  influence,  a  protection  in  itself  against  expos- 
ure to  the  cold  of  the  air. 

Avoid  all  patent  advertised  nostrums  for  beautify- 
ing the  skin,  lest  not  only  the  skin  itself,  but,  through 
its  many  mouths,  the  general  system,  should  suffer 
permanent  injury,  as  nearly  all  of  these  "  beautifiers" 
contain  deadly  poisons  in  greater  or  less  proportion. 

Do  not  fear  to  trust  to  nature  and  exercise  for  the 
beauty  which  is  in  harmony  with  natural  law. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  EYES. 

OETS  have,  in  all  ages,  sung  son- 
nets to  the  eyes,  and  lovers  have 
raved  over  these  ''windows  of  the 
soul,"  while  practical  people  have 
been  fain  to  acknowledge  that 
no  other  of  the  special  senses 
serves  a  purpose  at  once 
so  artistic,  so  enhanc- 
ing, so  useful  and  al- 
most indispensable 
as  the  eyes.  Indeed, 
no  other  single  misfor- 
tune could  possibly  be  re- 
arded  as  equal  to  the  loss 
of  the   eyesight,   to  say 
nothing  about  the  detrac- 
tion from  the  attractive- 
ness of  the  face  caused  by 
any  interruption  of  their 
natural  functions,  and  yet 
how  few  people  take  what 
might  be  called  reasonable 
care  of  these  wonderful  and 
complex  organs  of  sight ! 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


93 


Eyes  are  beautiful  or  not,  according  to  color,  and 
the  manner  in  which  they  are  set  in  the  socket. 
With  the  Mongolian  race,  the  eyes  seem  to  be  set 
slanting,  because  of  the  peculiar  droop  of  the  eye- 
lids; with  the  African  tribes  they  protrude;  but 
among  white  races,  generally,  they  are  well  set,  and 
are  neither  too  prominent  nor  sunken,  for  which  rea- 
son, and  because  of  variety  in  color,  the  eyes  of  the 
higher  civilized  types  are  the  most  beautiful  of  all. 

The  study  of  the  eye  is  exceedingly  interesting,  be- 
cause of  its  wonderful  mechanism  and  the  diminutive 
size  of  the  window  through  which  one  comprehends 
at  a  single  glance  a  multitude  of  widespread  glories 
reaching  out  in  every  direction.  Study  of  the  litera- 
ture of  the  eye  will  richly  repay  the  time  given  to  it, 
and  I  only  regret  that  I  am  so  limited  for  space  in 
the  present  connection,  that  anything  like  a  fair  de- 
scription of  its  points  and  powers  is  impossible. 

The  important  divisions  of  the  eye  are:  the  cornea, 
the  iris,  the  pupil,  the  retina,  the  optic  nerve.  The 
cornea  is  popularly  known  as  the  white  of  the  eye, 
and,  except  when  yellowed  from  disease,  it  is,  in  the 
higher  races,  translucent,  clear,  and  slightly  violet- 
tinted.  The  opaque  cornea  is  a  continuation  of  the 
cornea  itself,  and  is  in  size  very  much  larger  by  far, 
in  fact,  the  largest  part  of  the  little  globe  of  the  eye. 
It  is  a  tough,  whitish  membrane  into  which  the  pupil, 
the  real  window-pane,  is  set.  The  iris  is  the  colored 


94 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


circle  surrounding  the  pupil;  the  retina  is  the  plate 
at  the  back  of  the  eye  which  receives  refracted  im- 
pressions through  the  lens  from  the  pupil;  and  the 
optic  nerve  is  the  medium  of  telegraphic  communi- 
cation between  the  external  world  and  the  brain. 

The  beauty  of  the  eye  depends  very  largely  upon 
the  coloring  of  the  iris,  and  the  contracting  and  re- 
stricting muscles  which  cause  the  dilation  of  the 
pupil,  according  to  circumstances,  and  the  necessity 
for  the  admission  of  more  or  less  light.  It  is  for  the 
artificial  dilation  and  increased  brilliancy  of  these 
parts  of  the  eye  that  foolish  women  of  society  some- 
times apply  the  deadly  belladonna,  a  dangerous 
practice,  which  will  sooner  or  later  avenge  itself  in 
serious  injury  to  sight  and  a  complete  loss  of  lustre. 
The  only  permanent  and  satisfactory  brightness  of 
the  eye  is  that  which  comes  from  health,  for  this 
member  is  an  accurate  reporter  of  internal  conditions. 
The  dull  eye  of  disease,  the  gleaming  eye  of  insan- 
ity, the  glassy  eye  of  death,  have  nothing  in  common 
with  the  sparkling  eye  of  health. 

To  preserve  the  eyes  at  their  best,  attention  to  the 
general  laws  of  health  is  necessary,  together  with 
care  in  warding  off  local  inflammations,  and  early 
failure  of  the  sight  from  abuse. 

Very  few  persons,  comparatively  speaking,  enjoy 
the  possession  of  eyes  perfect  in  every  particular. 
There  are  so  many  organic  and  functional  difficulties 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


95 


to  which  these  members  are  liable,  such  as  color- 
defects,  astigmatism,  short-sightedness  or  myopia, 
and  long-sightedness  or  hypermetropia;  besides 
which,  eyes  are  sure,  like  any  other  exceedingly 
delicate  instrument,  to  wear  out  from  use.  For  this 
latter  reason  alone,  the  greatest  care  should  be  exer- 
cised in  their  protection  and  preservation. 

Moderately  cool  water  should  be  used  for  bathing 
them  every  morning  upon  rising.  The  eyes  should 
be  opened,  and  allow  the  water  to  run  under  the 
lids,  thus  bathing  the  ball  itself.  A  very  soft  towel 
should  be  used  for  drying,  always  wiping  inward 
toward  the  nose,  and  never  outward,  takipg  great 
care  meanwhile  not  to  press  upon  and  flatten  the 
eyeball,  as  the  flattening  of  the  lens  of  the  eye  is 
considered  a  sign  of  approaching  old  age,  and  cer- 
tainly accompanies  failing  sight.  Another  good 
reason  for  wiping  inward  around  the  ball  of  the  eye 
is  the  tendency  to  keep  wrifikles  away  from  the  outer 
corner,  a  position  in  which  these  arch-enemies  of 
beauty  early  take  lodgment.  Great  care  should  al- 
ways be  taken  to  keep  all  foreign  substances,  espe- 
cially soap,  astringent  washes,  and  irritants  from  the 
delicate  skin  of  the  lids,  and  particularly  from  the 
still  more  sensitive  eyeballs.  Pure  rain-water  is  bet- 
ter than  anything  else  for  washing,  except  when 
there  is  some  local  inflammation,  in  which  case  it 
,  can  often  be  entirely  cured  by  bathing  in  hot  rain- 


96 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY 


water  and  milk  in  equal  parts,  ten  minutes  at  a  time, 
morning  and  night. 

Among  the  many  abuses  which  will  tend  to  early 
loss  of  sight  may  be  mentioned  reading  or  sewing  at 
twilight,  or  in  the  evening,  by  a  flickering  or  insuf- 
ficient ray.  Gas  is  an  exceedingly  injurious  flame  to 
work  by.  A  steady,  full-power  student  lamp  is  the 
only  safe  light  for  working,  and  the  blaze  of  the 
lamp  should  be  entirely  shaded  from  the  eyes,  so 
that  it  will  fall  upon  one's  work  or  book  only. 
Another  abuse  is  reading  in  a  reclining  position; 
still  another,  straining  to  get  a  steady  focus  for  read- 
ing in  a  moving  train  or  carriage. 

Very  few  persons  at  any  time  take  the  trouble  to 
so  arrange  their  work  that  the  best  possible  light 
will  fall  full  upon  it.  In  writing,  a  desk  should  al- 
ways be  so  placed  that  the  light  will  fall  over  the 
left  shoulder  or  from  behind.  In  sewing,  one  should 
never  face  the  light;  and#n  walking  in  the  sunlight, 
or  taking  a  sun-bath,  the  eyes  should  always  be 
shaded.  When  walking  or  riding  along  a  glistening 
sandy  beach,  or  over  a  hard,  white  road,  or,  in  win- 
ter, upon  newly  fallen,  sparkling  snow — even  upon 
the  water  when  the  sun  is  shining,  smoked  glasses 
are  a  great  saving  to  the  eyes,  gratefully  softening 
and  toning  down  the  glare. 

At  the  very  first  suggestion  of  failing  sight  or  any 
decided  local  difficulty,  the  advice  and  services  of  a 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


97 


thoroughly  competent  ocuHst  should  be  sought. 
There  should  be  no  ignorant  tampering  with  these 
organs  for  any  reason;  and  the  best  optician  is  but 
the  servant  of  the  master,  his  business  being  to 
fulfil  the  behests  of  a  higher  knowledge.  Instances 
there  may  be,  although  the  numbers  are  not  worth 
mentioning,  when  these  men  are  prepared  to  give 
the  necessary  advice  concerning  the  real  needs  of  a 
patient;  but  in  the  nature  of  things  the  work  of  the 
oculist  is  that  of  a  physician:  the  optician  is  a  man  for 
mechanism  only;  to  expect  more  of  him  is  to  de- 
mand what  is  preeminently  out  of  his  line.  No  one 
should  postpone  wearing  glasses  from  sensitive, 
foolish  pride,  when  conditions  require  them,  whether 
young  or  old.  It  is  a  vain  boast  that  one  does  not 
wear  glasses,  when  it  is  patent  to  everybody  that  one 
needs  them.  After  putting  glasses  on,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  change  them  from  time  to  time,  intelligently, 
to  suit  aging  conditions.*  Failure  to  do  this  is  a 
neglect  of  a  great  advantage  offered  by  art  to  fail- 
ing nature.  Often  one  needs  glasses  of  different 
strength  for  each  eye,  and  only  an  oculist  can  ac- 
curately decide  this,  and  the  reason  for  it.  The 
eyes,  both  in  youth  and  age,  should  be  frequently 
rested  from  any  given  labor,  however  agreeable,  to 
change  their  focus  and  remove  the  nervous  strain 
which  comes  from  continued  looking  at  a  single 
object. 

7 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


While,  upon  general  principles,  it  is  unwise  to  in- 
dulge in  any  self-prescribed  treatment  for  difficulties 
of  the  eyes,  there  are  simple  cases  of  inflamed  or 
granulated  lids,  stye,  watery  eyes,  etc.,  etc.,  which 
may  safely  be  treated  by  simple  home  remedies. 

For  granulated  lids  an  alum  paste  made  by  rub- 
bing a  small  piece  of  alum  into  the  white  of  an  egg 
until  a  curd  is  formed,  and  then  applied  to  the  lids 
upon  retiring  at  night,  tying  a  piece  of  soft  linen 
over  the  eyes,  will  often  entirely  cure  the  trouble. 

An  excellent  wash  for  weak  and  inflamed  eyes  is 
made  from  camphor-water  and  witch-hazel,  equal 
parts.  This  is  specially  refreshing  when  the  inflam- 
mation proceeds  from  a  cold,  and  should  be  used 
upon  the  eyes  as  a  bath  several  times  daily  until  re- 
lieved. 

One  grain  of  yellow  oxide  of  mercury  mixed  with 
thick,  pure,  sweet  cream  will  often  reduce  a  very 
serious  inflammation  of  the  lids,  and  is  excellent  for 
the  unsightly  difficulty  known  as  a  stye. 

For  a  cooling  lotion  to  heated,  watery  eyes,  hot 
water  poured  upon  dried  rose-leaves  and  allowed  to 
stand  until  cool  will  be  found  very  refreshing. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  TEETH. 


EAUTIFUL  teeth  add  greatly  to  a 
woman's     attractiveness.  With 
men  the  fasliion  of  wearing  the 
mustache  helps,  in  a  meas- 
ure, to  hide  any  defects  in 
the  shape  of  the  mouth 
d  teeth  ;    but   with  a 
woman,  when  irreg- 
ular  and  unsightly, 
they  are  a  positive 
blemish,  except 
where  there  is  no  dis- 
play in  talking  and 
laughing,    which  is 
very  seldom  indeed, 
the  present  improved 
of  dental  surgery  there 
is,  however,  little  excuse  for 
disfiguring  irregularities,  and 

99 


lOO 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


none  whatever  for  offensive  breath,  discoloration 
and  loss  of  attractiveness,  the  result  of  neglect. 
The  most  beautiful  teeth — those  best  suited  to  the 
purposes  of  usefulness  for  which  they  were  design- 
ed in  the  economy  of  nature — are  neither  pearly 
white,  nor  deeply  tinted,  but  are  of  medium  size 
and  of  a  good,  sound  color  between  the  very  white 
and  ivory. 

When  the  second  or  permanent  teeth  are  growing 
in,  the  child  should  be  frequently  taken  to  a  first- 
class  dental  surgeon  to  be  sure  that  no  irregularity 
escapes  timely  attention,  as  almost  any  change  can 
be  effected  in  the  setting  of  the  teeth  of  young  per- 
sons; skillful  dentists  sometimes  finding  it  necessary 
to  move  every  tooth  in  the  jaw  to  bring  them  out 
into  position,  or  to  push  them  backward  when  too 
prominent.  It  frequently  happens  that  the  size  of 
the  jaw  will  not  accommodate  the  full  number  of  the 
teeth  that  are  natural,  and  one  or  two  of  those  of  the 
least  practical  service  will  then  be  removed  to  make 
room  for  the  others  to  come  into  line  and  regularity. 
Thus,  by  early  care  and  attention,  will  a  beautiful  set 
of  teeth  be  insured  for  future  ornamentation  ;  and, 
after  all,  the  highest  forms  of  beauty  are  everywhere 
in  nature  combined  with  the  quality  of  usefulness. 

The  teeth  are  composed  of  two  main  substances: 
the  dentine  or  softer  bone  surrounds  the  cavity  in 
which  lie  the  essential  preservatives  of  the  tooth — 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


lOl 


the  living  structure;  and  the  enamel,  harder  in  sub- 
stance than  the  dentine,  covers  and  protects  the 
crown  of  the  tooth. 

The  bones  of  the  teeth,  like  other  bones  of  the 
body,  depend  upon  nutrition  for  health,  and  it  is  al- 
most certain  that  the  teeth  of  an  insufficiently  nour- 
ished child  will  early  show  signs  of  defective  struct- 
ure and  decay.  For  perfect  health  of  the  teeth, 
plenty  of  good  food  in  variety  is  needed,  and  the 
habit  of  chewing  the  food  well  is  as  valuable  to  the 
preservation  of  the  teeth  themselves,  as  to  the  proc- 
esses of  healthful  assimilation  in  the  stomach. 

It  is  a  curious  but  noticeable  scientific  fact,  that 
the  evolution  in  the  civilized  jaw  goes  on  in  strict 
accordance  with  the  laws  governing  the  growth  and 
development  of  other  organs  and  faculties  of  the 
human  body.  There  has  been,  for  instance,  a  very 
marked  change,  surgeon-dentists  tell  us,  in  the  gen- 
eral size  of  the  civilized  human  jaw  within  even  the 
last  half-century;  a  very  perceptible  contraction, 
corresponding  to  higher  forms  of  living,  to  greater 
art  in  cooking,  and  the  constantly  diminishing  ne- 
cessity for  the  use  of  teeth  in  structure  and  design 
(like  the  canine  teeth)  calculated  to  tear  and  pre- 
pare tough  and  badly  selected  meat  and  vegetable 
products. 

To  the  preservative  care  of  the  teeth  daily  at- 
tention is  necessary;  and,  upon  general  principles,  I 


I02  PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 

believe  that  sound  health  is  better  insured  by  using 
very  little  dentifrice.  Some  of  the  nostrums  adver- 
tised will  undoubtedly  do  just  what  is  claimed  in 
the  immediate  matter  of  whitening  the  teeth;  but 
they  will  also  do  what  is  not  set  forth  in  the  glow- 
ing accounts  of  the  advertiser — remove  the  enamel 
and  make  sad  havoc  in  the  vital  parts  of  the  tooth. 
Very  few  pastes,  washes  and  lotions  can  be  used 
with  any  degree  of  safety;  and  it  is  usually  better 
to  allow  one's  dentist,  who  should  understand  the 
nature  and  requirements  of  the  individual  mouth  un- 
der his  treatment  better  than  any  one  else  possibly 
can,  to  prescribe  the  necessary  treatment  for  the  in- 
dividual needs. 

For  those  persons  of  slender  means,  however,  to 
whom  a  dentist's  care  is  an  unheard-of  luxury,  a  few 
general  directions  may  be  safely  given;  and  if  faith- 
fully followed,  the  evil  day  when  the  dentist's  atten- 
tions will  be  imperative  may  be  long  postponed.  Of 
course,  perfect  cleanliness  of  the  mouth  and  teeth 
is  necessary  to  beauty,  health  and  sweet  breath. 
Once  a  day  at  least  (it  is  better  to  take  time  just 
before  retiring)  a  silk  thread  should  be  run  between 
the  teeth  of  both  jaws,  to  dislodge  any  particles  of 
food  which  may  have  remained  after  eating.  Then 
a  brush — not  too  stiff,  with  the  bristles  set  well  into 
the  back,  in  irregular  lengths — should  be  dipped 
into  a  half-glass  of  clear,  cold  water,  into  which  two 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


103 


or  three  drops  of  tincture  of  myrrh  have  been  mix- 
ed, and  the  brush  should  be  used  carefully  upon  the 
teeth,  rubbing  downward  upon  the  upper  teeth,  up- 
ward upon  the  lower,  but  never  across  either  set. 
By  using  the  brush  as  directed,  the  bristles  will 
easily  search  out  the  hidden  places,  and  there  will 
be  no  shock  to  sensitive  gums,  as  there  must  be  to 
the  setting  around  the  teeth  when  the  brush  is  used 
upand  down  andacross,in  anywayone  maychoose, 
regardless  of  the  needs  and  nature  of  the  structure 
being  cleansed. 

Where  pure  water  and  myrrh  are  used  in  this  way 
faithfully  once  a  day,  both  inside  and  outside  the 
teeth,  there  will  be  no  accumulation  of  destructive 
tartar,  and  no  danger  of  that  unsightly  recession 
of  the  gums,  which  finally  causes  the  tooth  attacked 
to  loosen  and  project  beyond  the  other  teeth.  Myrrh 
is  astringent,  cleansing,  purifying,  and  sweetens 
the  breath  as  nothing  else  will.  When  the  tartar 
has  already  made  inroads  upon  the  gums,  of  course 
nothing  will  entirely  restore  the  lost  beauty  of 
shape  about  the  teeth,  but  the  myrrh  may  save  per- 
iostitis, which  is  a  diseased  and  inflamed  condition 
of  the  root  caused  by  the  tartar  working  under  the 
edge  of  the  gums,  and  its  frequent  use  will  be  found 
pleasant  and  refreshing  to  the  mouth. 

Picking  the  teeth  with  metal  is  sure  to  result  dis- 
astrously; indeed,  the  habit  of  picking  the  teeth 


I04 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


with  anything  is  vulgar  and  disgusting.  The  little 
box  of  toothpicks  in  the  centre  of  the  table,  from 
which  each  guest  is  expected  to  help  himself,  is  a 
relic  of  days  when  general  society  was  much  lower 
down  in  the  aesthetic  scale  than  now,  and  is  unwor- 
thy the  keeper  of  a  first-class  hostelry.  At  a  private 
table  it  is  glaringly  inexcusable.  Occasionally, 
some  annoying  bit  of  food  will  wedge  itself  between 
the  teeth;  but  one  should  refrain  from  removing  it 
until  he  can  seek  the  privacy  of  the  toilet.  If  the 
pain  becomes  too  annoying,  however,  to  be  borne, 
and  he  cannot  well  excuse  himself  from  the  table, 
hold  the  napkin  before  the  mouth,  and  quickly  and 
quietly  remove  the  offending  particle.  This  should 
never  be  done,  however,  if  there  is  any  possible  way 
to  avoid  it.  The  silk  thread  and  the  brush  are  far 
better  than  any  kind  of  toothpick  for  all  purposes 
for  which  the  pick  might  be  used  when  at  the  toilet. 
Biting  off  threads,  cracking  nuts,  and  biting  the  fin- 
ger-nails are  all  most  injurious  practices  for  the  teeth. 

Many  persons  employ  charcoal  for  cleansing  the 
teeth;  but  its  frequent  use  is  to  be  deprecated,  as  it 
is  too  harsh,  and  its  antiseptic  qualities  are  more 
than  counteracted  by  this  fact,  however  finely  pow- 
dered. A  good,  safe,  harmless  tooth-powder  can 
be  made  from  ground  orris-root  and  precipitated 
chalk  in  equal  parts,  ounce  for  ounce,  and  flavored 
with  oil  of  rose. 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY.  TO5 

A  decayed  tooth  must  have  the  immediate  atten- 
tion of  a  dentist,  as  the  stomach  and  general  health 
may  be  greatly  impaired  by  neglect  to  fill  or  re- 
move decaying  teeth.  A  very  little  thoughtful  care 
given  to  these  useful  members  will  repay  one  a 
hundredfold  in  comfort,  and  the  general  whole- 
someness  and  attractiveness  of  the  face  will  be 
greatly  enhanced. 


Si 


CHAPTER  VIIL 

THE  HYGIENE  OF  THE  HAIR. 

HE  hair  is  generally  conceded 
to  be  Nature's  crown  of  beauty.  I 
once  knew  a  woman  who  was  not 
only  saved  from  plainness,  but,  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  passed  for  some- 
thing of  a  beauty  because  of  the 
instant    admiration  bestowed 
upon  her  luxuriant,  softly  wav- 
ing and  richly  tinted  hair,  a 
veritable  halo  of  glory  encir- 
cling a  face  of  irregular  propor- 
tion and  deficient  expression. 

One  of  the  most  noticeable 
differences  between  civilized 
and  barbaric  races  is  the  difference  in  the  char- 
acter, texture,  gloss  and  subtle  shadings  of  the 
hair.  No  one  of  refined  taste  would  pres-ume  to 
compare  the  black,  close-curled  frizz  of  the  negro, 
or  the  coarse,  straight,  broom-like  hair  of  the  North 

American  Indian  with  the  gleaming,  silken  locks  of 

1 06 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY.  lOJ 

one  of  Titian's  Beauties."  The  hair  of  the  negro 
and  the  Indian,  like  the  fur  of  animals,  serves  for  a 
clothing  and  protection  to  the  head;  but  with  men 
and  women  of  more  highly  developed  sensibility, 
having  a  constitutional  appreciation  for  the  truly 
beautiful,  the  hair  is  regarded  not  only  as  a  cover- 
ing, but  a  means  for  enhancing  refined  personal 
charms  to  a  degree  which  makes  the  possession  of 
a  luxuriant  suit  of  hair  a  thing  to  be  coveted. 

Knowledge  of  the  anatomy  and  physiology  of  the 
hair  is  desirable,  but  not  indispensable  to  its  proper 
care,  although  study  of  the  phenomena  of  its  devel- 
opment, growth,  fall  and  regeneration  is  of  great 
assistance  in  warding  off  disease  of  the  scalp,  which 
very  naturally  affects  the  hair  itself  However, 
knowing  that  the  casual  reader  is  averse  to  entering 
deeply  into  the  science  of  things  unseen,  and  be- 
lieving that  disease  of  the  scalp  should  be  treated 
by  learned  practitioners,  I  shall  confine  myself  to 
consideration  of  the  hygiene  of  the  hair,  or  how  to 
preserve  and  care  for  it  to  save  disease  and  decay. 

First,  the  hair  must  be  considered  as  dependent 
upon  the  nerve-supply  and  circulation  of  the  scalp; 
therefore,  whatever  stimulates  the  nutrition  of  the 
hair-roots  helps  to  maintain  its  good  condition.  In 
a  general  way,  this  fact  is  accepted  by  most  per- 
sons; but  with  many  it  leads  to  a  mistaken  series  of 
vigorous  brushings  for  the  stimulation  of  the  scalp, 


io8 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


especially  with  those  who  have  a  predisposition 
toward  premature  baldness.  In  using  the  word 
"  mistaken  "  I  do  so  advisedly,  for,  next  to  absolute 
neglect  of  the  hair,  nothing  is  more  dangerous  to  its 
vitality  and  health  than  the  indiscriminate  and  per- 
sistent use  of  a  hard  brush  morning  and  night. 

The  scalp  is  thin,  and  its  epidermis  and  corium 
(true  skin)  are  not  reinforced  by  the  heavy  masses 
of  underlying  tissue  which  characterize  the  skin  of 
the  body,  and  for  this  reason  the  skin  of  the  scalp 
cannot  bear  the  same  vigorous  treatment  which 
proves  so  beneficial  to  other  parts,  and,  moreover, 
there  is  great  danger  of  injuring  the  roots  of  the 
hair  by  the  severe  strain  put  upon  the  hair-shaft  in 
too  energetic  manipulations.  The  reader  must  not 
misunderstand  me,  and  suppose  that  I  wish  to  depre- 
cate the  use  of  hair-brushes  altogether,  for  a  well- 
selected  bristle  brush  is  not  only  essential  to  the 
health  and  cleanliness  of  the  scalp,  but  to  the  beauty 
and  gloss  of  the  hair  itself.  What  I  do  wish  to  im- 
press upon  the  mind  is  the  necessity  for  selecting 
and  wielding  the  brush  with  a  view  to  the  physical 
character  of  the  organ  to  be  treated,  and  not  igno- 
rantly  and  recklessly  to  the  point  of  irritation  and 
disaster;  for  it  is  quite  possible  to  overstimulate 
the  scalp,  and  thereby  cause  a  more  rapid  loss  of 
the  hair  than  would  otherwise  have  occurred.  The 
use  of  the  brush  should  be  principally  for  the  health 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


109 


which  comes  from  cleanliness,  as  rubbing  of  the 
scalp  with  the  tips  of  the  fingers,  after  separating 
the  hair  into  strands,  will  do  more  for  the  hygienic 
stimulation  of  the  scalp  than  can  possibly  be  ac- 
complished with  a  brush,  however  carefully  selected, 
as  the  finger  imparts  a  certain  vital  warmth  and 
glow  which  is  most  beneficial  to  the  hair-follicles, 
stimulating  and  nourishing  the  productive  energy  of 
their  sebaceous  glands. 

For  the  hygienic  care  of  the  scalp  and  hair,  cer- 
tain methods  are  essential;  the  shampoo,  careful 
brushing  and  combing,  friction  with  the  fingers,  and 
the  occasional  use  of  oil,  with  exposure  to  light  and 
air,  and  the  frequent  cutting  of  the  ends  to  keep  the 
hair-shaft  at  a  length  to  admit  of  being  properly 
nourished  by  the  nutritive  material  of  the  root,  a 
matter  which  will  be  found  to  differ  greatly  with  dif- 
ferent persons. 

Care  of  the  scalp  and  hair  should  begin  with  the 
new-born  babe  and  continue  throughout  life.  To  rid 
the  scalp  of  a  new-born  child  of  the  fatty  matter  known 
as  vernix  caseosa,  great  care  must  be  exercised,  or 
inflammation  may  set  in,  to  be  followed  by  an  un- 
sightly scabbiness.  Sweet  almond,  or  pure  olive  oils 
should  be  used  as  soon  as  the  child  is  born,  and 
after  a  few  hours  the  head  must  be  washed  with 
warm  water  and  Castile  soap.  If  this  does  not  re- 
move the  fatty  matter  at  once,  the  same  treatment 


no 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


should  be  repeated  daily.  To  use  anything  like  a 
fine-toothed  comb  or  brush,  or  rough  cloth  to  re- 
move this  substance,  however  obstinate  it  may  prove, 
is  to  entail  endless  suffering  upon  the  child  and  do 
serious  damage  to  the  hair-roots  at  the  very  thresh- 
old of  life,  The  head  of  the  infant  must  be  care- 
fully washed,  thoroughly  dried,  and  slightly  oiled 
daily  for  several  weeks,  although  the  vernix  caseosa 
may  have  yielded  at  once.  This  treatment  will  pro- 
tect the  head  until  the  hair  has  grown,  and  for  a  year, 
at  least,  a  brush  of  exceeding  fineness  and  delicacy 
should  be  used,  without  any  attempt  at  combing  the 
hair.  After  the  first  three  months  it  will  not  be  nec- 
essary to  wash  baby's  head  oftener  than  once  a  week. 

In  general  it  may  be  stated  that  a  monthly  sham- 
poo is  quite  enough  for  most  adult  heads;  the  ex- 
ceptions are  diseased  conditions,  and  where  persons 
are  exposed  to  unusual  dust  and  dirt,  and  must  re- 
sort to  water  oftener  for  simple  cleanliness;  but  even 
then  finger  friction  of  the  scalp  and  carefully  parting 
and  wiping  the  hair  with  a  soft,  damp  towel  will 
usually  suffice.  Wetting  the  hair  daily  is  a  great 
mistake  for  both  men  and  women,  as  the  tendency 
is  to  a  condition  of  brittleness  and  harshness;  the 
constant  use  of  water  upon  a  surface  so  difficult  to 
dry  as  the  scalp  (when  properly  covered)  having  the 
effect  to  remove,  without  stimulating,  secretion  of  the 
natural  oil. 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


Ill 


The  proper  way  to  shampoo  the  head  is  to  have 
ready  a  basin  of  warm  water  and  Castile  soap.  With 
the  fingers  rub  the  soap  and  water  well  upon  the 
scalp  and  hair  until  a  lather  is  made,  and  all  dan- 
druff and  foreign  matter  have  become  loosened,  when 
the  warm  douche  should  be  used  to  remove  the 
lather,  and  afterward  the  cold  douche  for  reaction 
and  stimulation.  When  the  spray  from  the  rubber 
douche  is  impossible,  pouring  water  over  the  head 
freely  will  answer  the  same  purpose.  Where  the 
scalp  is  very  sensitive,  a  well-known  medical  author- 
ity advises  the  use  of  the  yolks  of  three  eggs  beaten 
up  in  a  pint  of  lime-water  instead  of  soap.  After 
the  scalp  and  hair  have  been  thoroughly  washed, 
the  very  best  way  to  dry  them  is  to  sit  in  the  open  air 
and  sunlight  ;  hot  towels  are  the  next  best  means, 
and  these  should  be  applied  until  not  a  suspicion  of 
moisture  remains  at  the  roots  of  the  hair,  when  olive- 
oil  or  plain,  simple  beef's  marrow,  well  refined  and 
very  slightly  scented  with  oil  of  rose  or  bergamot, 
should  be  rubbed  into  the  scalp  to  supply  the  oil 
which  has  been  removed  for  the  time,  or  may,  per- 
haps, have  been  deficient  before  the  shampoo.  Care 
should  be  taken  in  applying  it  to  the  hair-roots  not 
to  smear  the  hair  itself,  as  nothing  is  more  offen- 
sive to  good  taste  than  focks  saturated  with  grease. 
Vaseline  and  other  mineral  oils  should  never  be 
used  upon  the  head. 


112 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


In  smoothing  the  hair,  which  will  always  be  more 
or  less  tangled  by  the  shampoo,  one  will  require  only 
a  soft,  firm  brush,  and  a  coarse  comb  with  very 
smooth  teeth  of  uniform  size;  never  a  fine  comb; 
indeed,  the  fine-toothed  comb  has  no  place  upon  the 
toilet-table,  as  it  is  very  injurious  to  both  the  hair- 
shaft  and  the  hair-root — often  splitting  the  one,  and 
shocking  the  other  by  its  irritating  scratch,  scratch. 
Its  use  is  warranted  in  getting  rid  of  parasitic  invad- 
ers of  the  scalp  and  hair,  when  its  employment  is 
in  a  measure  remedial,  but  at  no  other  time. 

Using  advertised  fluid  washes  for  the  hair  is  at- 
tended with  much  danger,  and  my  advice  is,  Don't." 
Even  the  free  use  of  borax,  ammonia,  and  alcohol, 
by  so  many  persons  regarded  as  harmless,  is  a  seri- 
ous mistake,  as  the  very  properties  which  render 
these  articles  valuable  as  cleansing  agents  prove  that 
they  must  have  a  drying  and  caustic  effect  upon  the 
hair  and  scalp.  Water,  soap,  finger-friction,  simple 
oils,  and  careful,  gentle,  patient  brushing  will  ac- 
complish more  in  the  way  of  strengthening  the  hair 
than  all  of  the  so-called  tonics  in  the  market.  Where 
medicated  fluid  is  essential  for  any  reason,  it  should 
be  prescribed  by  a  physician  knowing  his  business, 
and  not  by  an  ignorant  charlatan. 

One  reason  for  the  early  falling  of  the  hair  is  the 
habit  of  allowing  it  to  grow  as  long  as  it  will,  espe- 
cially with  children.    This  custom  may  add  some- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY.  II3 

thing  to  the  mere  prettiness  of  childhood,  but  it  is 
largely  at  the  sacrifice  of  the  future  strength  and 
beauty  of  the  hair,  for  the  nutrition  which  is  diverted 
to  the  stimulation  of  the  long  hair-shaft  at  such  an 
early  age  is  more  than  likely  to  permanently  im- 
poverish the  vitality  of  the  hair-root;  although  this 
result  is,  in  a  measure,  counteracted  at  the  present 
time  by  the  loose  and  flowing  style  in  which  chil- 
dren wear  their  hair,  and  its  consequent  exposure  to 
air  and  sunlight — a  fashion  much  more  hygienic  than 
that  of  closely  braiding,  or  tying  it  up  with  strings 
and  ribbons. 

There  is  a  superstition  among  women  about  cut- 
ting the  ends  of  the  hair  every  new  moon,  to  make 
it  grow;  a  superstition  which  may  or  may  not  con- 
tain the  grain  of  truth,  so  far  as  the  moon  is  concerned. 
I  do  not  pretend  to  the  mystical  knowledge  which 
would  entitle  me  to  speak  with  authority,  but  I  am 
prepared  to  state,  as  a  physiological  fact  capable  of 
demonstration,  that  the  withered  appearance  of  any 
individual  hair  is  an  unmistakable  sign  that  the  root 
is  not  equal  to  the  nourishment  of  its  entire  length, 
and  the  health  of  such  hairs  can  only  be  restored  by 
cutting  sufficiently  to  bring  the  length  within  the 
nutritive  capacity  of  these  individual  roots.  Because 
of  this  fact,  it  follows  that  the  practice,  whether  reg- 
ulated by  superstition  or  knowledge,  of  cutting  the 
ends  of  the  hair,  from  time  to  time,  must  be  beneficial. 

8 


114 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


In  caring  for  the  hair,  so  as  to  preserve  it,  I  have 
given  directions  for  the  shampoo,  the  oil  for  the 
roots  as  a  fertilizer,  a  soft  brush,  and  a  coarse-toothed 
comb. 

Do  not  buy  one  of  the  cheaper  kinds  of  brushes, 
but  with  great  care  select  a  soft  yet  firm  bristle 
brush,  having  its  bristles  set  well  into  the  back  in 
groups.  The  middle  of  each  group  should  be  longer 
than  the  outside,  as  such  grouping  is  better  adapted 
to  all  conditions  of  the  hair  and  scalp,  and  has  less 
tendency  to  irritation;  besides,  a  brush  with  bristles 
of  irregular  lengths  is  far  better  calculated  to  search 
out  dandruff  and  foreign  matter  than  one  of  the 
ordinary  kind  having  the  bristles  set  together  and 
all  of  a  length. 

One  should  never  buy  a  very  cheap  comb,  think- 
ing it  a  bargain,  for  examination  will  prove  the  in- 
side of  the  teeth  to  be  rough  and  irregular.  Always 
hold  a  comb  up  to  the  light,  and  examine  carefully, 
to  be  sure  that  there  are  no  jagged  surfaces  to  tear 
and  split  the  hair.  Do  not  buy  a  comb  having  half 
of  the  teeth  fine  and  the  other  half  coarse,  for  a 
coarse-toothed  comb  should  always  be  used  in  dis- 
entangling and  arranging  the  hair,  the  only  purpose 
for  which  a  comb  is  needed,  as  the  brush  does  the 
work  of  smoothing,  and  keeping  the  hair  free  from 
dust  and  dandruff. 

Both  brush  and  comb  should  be  kept  scrupulously 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


clean  by  frequent  washings  in  warm  water  and  am- 
monia, for  eczema  and  other  irritating  diseases  of 
the  scalp  are  easily  established  by  using  a  brush 
having  an  accumulation  of  dust  and  the  effete  matter 
thrown  off  by  the  scalp  and  hair  matted  around  the 
setting  of  the  bristles. 

Great  glossiness  and  beneficial  stimuli  can  be 
given  to  the  hair  by  the  daily  practice  of  sitting  in 
a  sunny  window,  and  then  separating  the  hair  into 
strands,  carefully  wiping  each  one  with  the  palms 
of  the  hand,  with  a  slow,  stroking,  downward  move- 
ment. Ten  to  fifteen  minutes  a  day  is  quite  enough 
time  to  devote  to  brushing  the  hair,  and  it  is  better 
to  perform  this  task  at  night  than  in  the  morning, 
as  one  will  then  retire  with  the  day's  dust  removed, 
and  with  nothing  to  interfere  with  the  excretory  and 
nutritive  functions  during  the  sleeping  hours. 

Even  where  there  is  a  tendency  to  premature 
baldness,  such  care  as  I  have  outlined  will  very  ma- 
terially lessen  and  ofttimes  entirely  prevent  the  fall- 
ing of  the  hair.  Among  men,  several  causes  com- 
bine to  hasten  baldness — one,  the  most  prolific, 
perhaps,  being  the  habit  of  frequently  sopping  the 
head  with  water,  and,  while  still  damp,  brushing  it  in 
a  manner  so  vigorous  as  to  positively  injure  the  hair- 
root,  and  to  altogether  destroy  the  natural  oil-sup- 
ply. Another,  going  frequently  to  barbers,  and 
submitting  to  their  manipulations  and  a  deluge  of 


ii6 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY, 


ignorance  from  a  bottle  in  the  name  of ''an  excel- 
lent hair  tonic,"  which  is,  almost  without  exception, 
astringent  and  injurious.  Still  another,  the  habit  of 
wearing  stiff  hats  without  sufiHf!^ient  ventilation. 

With  the  first  signs  of  approaching  baldness,  a 
man  should  begin  a  systematic  course  of  treatment 
calculated  to  allay  the  fall  of  the  hair,  and  furnish 
additional  fertilization  to  the  scalpo  Stop  the  daily 
head-bath,  and  burn  the  stiff  hair-brush,  which  have, 
very  likely,  helped  to  precipitate  the  difficulty.  With 
soft,  warm  water  (rain-water  is  best)  and  Castile 
soap  carefully  wash  the  head  once  a  week,  and  dry 
it  thoroughly.  Then  expose  the  head  to  the  sun  and 
air  for  a  half-hour,  rubbing  refined  beef  s  marrow,  in 
very  small  quantity,  into  the  scalp  with  the  tip  of 
the  finger,  very  gently,  until  a  warm  glow  is  felt  all 
over  the  head.  Repeat  the  process  of  rubbing  the 
head  daily,  and,  above  all  else,  expose  the  crown 
of  the  head  and  hair  to  sunlight  and  air,  each  day. 
Renew  the  application  of  oil  to  the  scalp  at  the  first 
suggestion  of  dryness  at  the  roots  of  the  hair. 
Avoid  barbers  and  lotions,  ointments  and  mineral 
oils.  In  brushing  the  hair,  do  so  very  gently,  and 
without  slapping  the  brush  down  on  the  head,  after 
the  manner  of  mankind  generally,  and  the  chances 
are  greatly  in  favor  of  putting  off  the  evil  day  indef- 
initely. When  early  baldness  is  hereditary,  and 
due  to  a  lessening  of  the  subcutaneous  fat  and  atrophy 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


117 


of  the  corium,  the  only  hope  to  save  the  hair  is  by 
stimulation  of  the  hair-follicles,  and  an  artificial 
supply  of  the  fatty  matter  which,  in  perfect  health 
of  the  scalp,  is  furnished  by  the  sebaceous  glands. 
It  will  therefore  be  seen  at  once  by  the  intelligent 
reader  that  no  hope  lies  in  "  hair  tonics;  "  but  only 
in  the  electrical  power  of  friction  with  the  vital  finger- 
tip, in  sunlight  and  air,  and  the  application  of  animal 
sebum  as  nearly  resembling  the  deficient  natural 
oil  as  possible. 

A  mild  current  from  a  galvanic  battery  is  also 
helpful  to  stimulation  of  the  secretions  of  the  scalp, 
and  consequently  to  the  vitality  of  the  hair,  and 
should  always  be  resorted  to  in  cases  of  rapidly  fall- 
ing hair  and  incipient  baldness. 

If  these  natural,  rational  means  do  not,  however, 
effect  the  desired  cure,  nothing  else  will,  and  resort 
to  quack  nostrums  is  very  dangerous,  and  may  cost 
one  the  additional  price  of  weakened  mental  power. 

As  cases  of  baldness  occur  in  persons  having  great 
vital  power  and  sound  bodily  health,  it  must  reason- 
ably be  concluded  that  the  trouble  is  oftener  local 
than  general,  although  there  are  instances  which 
require  constitutional  treatment. 

Undoubtedly,  failure  to  recognize  the  true  nature 
of  dandruff,  and  to  treat  it  accordingly,  leads  to 
many  cases  of  falling  hair  which  could  be  saved. 
Dandruff  iifiay,  or  may  not,  be  in  the  nature  of  dis- 


ii8 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


ease.  Upon  a  perfectly  healthy  scalp  there  will 
always  be  more  or  less  of  a  formation  of  dandruff, 
because  the  skin  of  the  head,  like  that  of  the  body, 
is  constantly  throwing  off  its  dead  and  useless  mat- 
ter, and  demanding  cleanliness  and  attention  for 
perfect  health.  Where  these  are  neglected,  dan- 
druff is  apt  to  degenerate  into  disease,  and  must  then 
be  treated  remedially.  The  use  of  a  fine-toothed 
comb  has  an  irritating  action  upon  the  scalp,  some- 
what like  the  scratch  of  a  pin  upon  the  flesh,  and  its 
constant  employment  is  almost  sure  to  establish  and 
aggravate  a  condition  of  dandruff  amounting  to 
disease.  Improper  care  of  the  scalp,  and  the  use  of 
pomades,  hair-dyes,  and  tonics,  lead  to  one  form  and 
another  of  local  irritation.  Of  course  the  first  method 
to  be  employed  for  the  cure  of  dandruff  is  cleanliness; 
and  the  directions  for  the  care  of  the  scalp  and  hair, 
already  given,  will  be  found  necessary  to  restoration 
to  sound  condition,  when  disease  has  been  established 
from  any  cause. 

Where  local  treatment  for  the  dandruff  of  disease 
is  essential,  Fournier  recommends  an  ointment  of 

Beef  marrow,  .      .  .       .       .       .  60. 

Oil  of  sweet  almonds,  .       .       .  .20. 

Flower  of  sulphur,  .       .       .       .  i. 

Tinct.  of  benzoin,     .  .       .       .       .  6. 

The  head  and  hair  should  be  washed  and  dried 
before  applying  the  ointment,  which  should  then 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


119 


be  thoroughly  rubbed  into  the  scalp  every  other 
night. 

Occasionally  it  happens  that,  instead  of  being 
deficient  in  natural  oil,  the  scalp  will  have  an  over- 
supply,  and  the  reverse  of  the  treatment  recom- 
mended for  dryness  is  then  necessary  to  save  degen- 
eration into  the  trouble  known  as  seborrhea  sicca, 
a  functional  disease  of  the  sebaceous  glands,  in 
which  an  abnormal  amount  of  sebaceous  oil  is 
secreted.  If  this  is  not  removed  there  is  danger 
that  it  will  mat  into  thick  flakes  around  the  hair- 
follicles  and  give  the  hair  an  offensively  greasy 
look.  Wash  once  a  week,  according  to  directions 
already  given,  with  pure  water  and  Castile  soap, 
thoroughly  rinsing  the  scalp  and  hair  with  cool,  or 
if  possible,  without  creating  a  shock  to  the  head, 
with  cold  water.  When  the  hair  is  thoroughly  dry, 
take  a  very  small  soft  toilet-brush,  not  over  two 
inches  long,  carefully  separate  the  hair,  and  go  all 
over  the  scalp  to  brush  away  any  incrustations 
which  may  possibly  remain.  If  the  treatment,  when 
continued  for  three  months,  does  not  overcome  the 
difficulty,  other  local  treatment  is  needed,  and  an 
application  of  the  following  ointment  to  the  scalp 
should  be  made  every  night,  and  rubbed  off  w  ith  a  soft 
linen  in  the  morning,  until  the  difficulty  is  removed: 

Oleum  rusci,        ...        oz.  ^^-=15. 
Ungt.  aquae  rosae  ad,       .       .     —  02.  iv=\oo. 
01.  rosae  gt,  ....        x  \.o  xx=\. 


I20 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


Of  the  artistic  effect  of  the  hair  much  might  be 
said;  but  each  woman  should  study  this  question 
for  herself,  because  so  much  depends  upon  the  shape 
of  the  head  and  face,  and  the  general  character  of 
the  hair  itself. 

The  most  beautiful  hair  is  that  which,  whatever 
its  color,  whether  dark  or  light,  is  soft,  glossy, 
abundant,  waving,  and  full  of  those  exquisite  glints 
that  come  from  variety  of  pigmentation  (coloring 
matter)  in  the  individual  hairs.  Where  nature  has 
done  her  part  in  giving  such  hair,  and  preservative 
art  lends  her  aid  to  its  care  and  becoming  arrange- 
ment, hair  may  well  be  said  to  be  a  woman's  chief 
ornament;  but,  unfortunately,  nature  does  not 
always  endow  her  children  generously  in  these 
respects,  and  one  oftener  meets  men  and  women 
with  thin,  straight,  lustreless  hair,  than  with  that 
which  has  special  claims  to  beauty. 

Much  of  this  general  lack-lustre  and  scantiness  is 
undoubtedly  due  to  ignorance  of  the  hygienic  needs 
of  the  hair,  and  abuse  of  its  possibilities.  Intelligent 
care  will,  almost  without  exception,  improve  the 
quality  and  quantity  of  hair;  and,  be  the  color  what 
it  may,  every  one  can  find  a  method  of  becoming 
arrangement  by  studying  effects,  and  abandoning 
the  sheep-like  fashion  of  following  recklessly  wher- 
ever fashion  leads.  No  style  of  dressing  the  hair 
was  ever  devised,  however  ridiculous,  which  was 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


121 


not  becoming  to  somebody.  The  pointed  bang, 
in  its  nature  a  hideous  conception,  actually  gives 
piquancy  to  certain  faces;  but  alas  for  the  greater 
number  of  women  who  have  adopted  it !  Frizzes 
and  waves,  water  curls  and  fringes,  puffs  and  pom- 
padours, all  have  good  effects  with  certain  faces;  but 
for  every  woman  made  beautiful  by  prevailing  modes 
which  have  been  adopted  regardless  of  individual 
needs,  dozens  are  rendered  far  less  attractive  than 
nature  intended  them  to  be.  In  the  matter  of  hair 
arrangement,  above  all  other  considerations  of  the 
toilet,  individual  needs  should  be  studied  and  faith- 
fully carried  out. 

Perfectly  plain  hair  is  becoming  to  very  few  faces, 
for  the  reason  that  the  forehead  itself  is  so  seldom 
well  shaped,  and  such  harmless  beautifiers  as  crimp- 
ing-pins  and  curl-papers  certainly  ought  not  to  be 
inveighed  against  by  the  most  rigid  moralists.  The 
crimping-iron  justly  comes  in  for  a  measure  of  con- 
demnation, because  it  leads,  in  longer  or  shorter 
time,  to  absolute  ruination  of  the  natural  gloss  and 
vitality  of  the  hair. 

To  many  faces,  a  soft  fluffy  wave  of  the  long  hair 
backward  is  much  more  becoming  than  short  bangs 
and  frizzes,  and  great  care  should  be  exercised  in 
deciding  upon  and  adopting  the  individual  method 
of  hair-dressing.  Occasionally  a  youthful  face  is 
improved  by  artificial  hair  waves,  but  rarely;  and 


122 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


the  habit  of  piling  switches  and  cushions  upon  the 
head  is  vulgar  in  the  extreme,  and  generally  distort- 
ing to  the  shape  and  grace  of  the  head.  Where  one 
has  very  little  hair,  fluffing  it,  by  doing  it  up  at 
night  upon  innocent  curl-papers,  and  then  catching 
it  up  carefully  with  invisible  hair-pins  in  some  soft, 
loose  style  of  knot  at  the  neck,  or,  if  it  were  becom- 
ing, on  top  of  the  head  in  the  morning,  will  gener- 
ally do  away  with  the  necessity  for  switches.  Where 
one  must,  however  (which  is  a  great  misfortune), 
resort  to  artificial  hair,  great  care  should  be  exer- 
cised in  the  selection  to  get  what  is  absolutely  clean, 
undyed  and  free  from  parasitic  deposits. 

Regarding  the  color,  whatever  it  may  be,  any- 
thing is  better  than  artificially  colored  hair.  Of  all 
offensive,  disgusting,  inexcusable  toilet  practices, 
that  of  dyeing  the  hair  is  the  very  worst;  nobody  is 
deceived,  and  the  incongruity  between  eyelashes, 
eyebrows,  skin  and  hair  is  not  only  unsightly;  but 
the  solid,  withered-looking  mass  of  brush,  without 
lights  and  shadows,  is  a  constant  reminder  of  decay, 
like  the  dried  grass  in  a  sun-scorched  field.  Not  a 
wrinkle,  not  a  sign  of  passing  years,  but  is  empha- 
sized and  exaggerated  by  contrast,  old  age  being 
rendered  absolutely  hideous  by  it,  since  the  gray 
hair  of  age  is  the  only  fitting  frame  to  an  aging 
face,  softening  it  as  nothing  else  can. 

There  is  a  beauty  which  is  undeniable  in  natural 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


123 


iron-gray  and  white  hair,  and  many  a  youthful  face, 
not  noticeable  before,  has  been  positively  trans- 
formed by  this  so-called  early  misfortune;  but 
nobody  was  ever  rendered  anything  except  offen- 
sive by  dyeing  the  hair;  besides  which,  the  com- 
pounds used  are  largely  mineral,  generally  injurious, 
and  altogether  objectionable  to  good  taste,  art,  and 
common  sense. 

With  the  hair,  as  with  other  organs  of  the  body, 
hygienic  care,  and  the  exercise  of  artistic  taste, 
based  upon  a  correct  understanding  of  what  is  really 
beautiful,  will  lead  to  the  best  and  most  pleasing 
effects. 

For  keeping  the  hair  in  curl,  an  entirely  harmless 
bandoline  is  made  as  follows: 

Gum  tragacanth,        .       .       .    i  X  drachms. 

Water,  7  ounces. 

Proof  spirit,       ....     3  ounces. 

Attar  of  rose,         ...  10  drops. 

Macerate  for  one  day,  and  strain  the  mixture. 
Dampen  the  hair  when  doing  up  at  night. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


CARE  OF  THE  HANDS. 


HE  hand,  more  than  any  other 
member,  perhaps,  proclaims 
refined  Hneage,  and  that  in- 
describable something  which 
is  the  result  of  good  blood 
and  breeding.  Aristotle  well 
called  the  hand  "  the  mem- 
ber   of  members," 
and  in  all  ages  hom- 
age has  been  paid 
to  its  beauty,  its 
grace,    and  its 
importance. 
Orators  have 
brought  its 
subtle  pow- 
er to  bear 
in  empha- 
sizing the 

most  profound  speech;  and  priests  to  give  dignity 
to  their  ceremonials  in  the  invocation  of  the  Divine 
blessing,  in  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  the  laying 
on   of  hands.     Courtiers    and    lovers  have  ever 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


bent  the  knee  and  bowed  the  head  to  kiss  the 
hands  of  ladies  fair,  from  royal  sovereigns  down 
to  village  maid;  while  science  and  superstition  have 
each  played  conspicuous  parts  in  giving  prominence 
to  the  superior  importance  of  this  member.  Through 
many  centuries  the  cutting  off  of  hands  was  a  much- 
dreaded  punishment,  and  was  a  penalty  remaining 
in  force  for  the  offence  of  drawing  a  sword  in  a  court 
of  justice,  or  assaulting  an  officer  of  the  crown,  until 
comparatively  recent  times.  When  Cicero  was  as- 
sassinated, 43  B.  C,  an  immortal  tribute  was  paid  to 
the  hand,  as  an  eloquent  aid  to  oratory,  in  the  send- 
ing of  his  hands,  as  well  as  his  head,  to  be  hung  in 
the  Forum  at  Rome. 

-Among  Eastern  nations  white  hands  are  regarded 
as  typical  of  generosity — among  Western  nations,  of 
innocence.  With  the  ancient  Egyptians  the  hand 
was  the  symbol  of  strength — with  the  Romans,  of 
fidelity.  With  all  persons  inclined  to  the  mystical, 
belief  in  palmistry  holds  more  or  less  sway,  and  it 
is  by  far  the  oldest  form  of  divination,  although  such 
later-day  men  as  Ben  Jonson,  Coleridge,  and  Ivan 
Turgeneff  have  not  hesitated  to  declare  in  favor  of 
the  science.  But,  apart  from  other  beliefs  or  super- 
stitions, ancient  or  modern,  stands  the  one  self-evi- 
dent and  indisputable  truth,  that  the  hand  plays  a 
constant  and  indispensable  part  in  nearly  every  act 
and  incident  of  our  lives:  it  is,  therefore,  worthy  of 


126 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


most  intelligent  and  careful  consideration;  for  the 
hand  may  be  educated  to  almost  any  art  or  grace 
for  which  one  has  the  patience  and  inclination. 

Very  few,  indeed,  are  the  persons  born  with  ex- 
quisitely graceful  and  refined  hands,  which  are  a 
constant  delight  to  their  possessor  and  a  pleasure  to 
the  beholder,  for  very  few  persons  in  this  age  of 
mixed  blood  and  democratic  tendencies  can  boast  a 
line  of  ancestors,  whose  occupations  and  traditions 
have  combined  to  produce  the  desired  result;  and 
art  has  but  recently  come  to  the  aid  of  nature  in 
overcoming  the  defects  of  inheritance  in  the  general 
expression  of  these  too  often  graceless  members, 
although  cosmetics  and  unguents  for  softening  and 
whitening  the  skin  of  the  hand  have  long  been  em- 
ployed by  fashionable  dames. 

There  are  many  different  styles  of  hand,  charac- 
teristic of  different  occupations  and  temperaments, 
diversified  formation  which  cannot  logically  be 
changed,  although  such  subtlety  of  movement  and 
expression  may  be  educated  into  muscles  and  joints 
from  wrists  to  finger-tips,  that  even  ill-favored  and 
clumsy  hands  will  be  transformed  into  agreeable 
and  pleasing  members. 

There  are  seven  classes  or  types  of  hand  described 
by  D'Arpentigny: — "Elementary  or  large-palmed 
hands;  the  necessary  or  spatulated  hand;  the  artis- 
tic or  conical  hand;  the  useful  or  square  hand;  the 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


12  J 


philosophic  or  knotted  hand;  the  psychic  or  pointed 
hand,  and  the  mixed  hand,  each  one  having  a  natu- 
ral correspondence  to  temperament."  This  interest- 
ing student  of  the  science  of  the  hand  says,  in  sub- 
stance, that:  "  On  the  palm  of  the  hand  are  found 
the  indications  of  the  physical  appetites  of  men,  and 
up  to  a  certain  point  those  of  the  intensity  of  the  in- 
tellectual aptitudes  which  these  appetites  determine; 
thus,  a  very  narrow,  meagre  palm  indicates  a  feeble 
temperament,  lacking  in  warmth  and  force  of  imagi- 
nation, and  without  definite  objects.  A  supple  palm 
of  medium  thickness  and  consistency  of  surface  in- 
dicates a  nature  capable  of  enjoying  all  pleasures  of 
the  senses,  while  possessing  the  keenest  faculties  of 
imagination.  Where  the  developments  of  the  palm 
are  too  pronounced,  egoism  and  sensuality  are  the 
dominating  instincts,  while  hard  and  thick  palms, 
with  amplitude  out  of  proportion  with  the  rest  of  the 
hand,  indicate  instincts  and  individualities  verging 
upon  an  animality  destitute  of  ideas. 

Fingers  are  either  smooth  or  knotty.  If  the  joint 
which  connects  the  nailed  phalanx  with  the  second 
is  prominent,  ideas  are  in  order;  when  the  second 
joint  is  prominent,  there  is  a  gift  of  material  order 
and  of  method  in  worldly  affairs;  when  both  are 
prominent  the  instinct  of  arrangement,  symmetry 
and  punctuality  are  pronounced,  and  the  possessor 
of  such  fingers  will  move  by  reflection  and  have 


128 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY, 


aptitude  for  the  pursuit  of  science.  Smooth  fingers 
are  endowed  with  the  faculty  of  art,  and,  however 
practical  the  end  toward  which  they  are  goaded  by 
material  interest,  they  will  always  proceed  by  in- 
spiration rather  than  by  reason;  by  fantasy  and 
sentiment  rather  than  by  knowledge,  by  synthesis 
rather  than  by  analysis.  Taste,  from  the  intellectual 
point  of  view,  resulting,  as  it  does,  from  considera- 
tion, belongs  to  knotty  fingers;  and  grace,  unrea- 
soning and  instinctive,  belongs  to  essentially  smooth 
fingers.  Square  fingers  are  responsible  for  theories, 
for  methodical  registration  of  facts,  for  literature  and 
science,  and  not  for  the  higher  flights,  which  they 
never  attain.  To  fingers  which  terminate  in  a  spat- 
ule  (flattened)  belong  action,  ability  to  instruct, 
tact  and  knowledge." 

But  whatever  the  shape  or  size  of  the  hand  and 
fingers,  and  whatever  its  essential  scientific  aspects, 
as  set  forth  by^  students  of  character-reading,  one 
fact  important  to  my  present  purpose  remains — 
grace  and  elegance'of  hand  can  be  cultivated  to  an 
astonishing  degree;  and,  by  intelligent  training  of 
an  unsymmetrical  member,  even  naturally  well- 
shaped  but  crudely  managed  hands  will  often  ap- 
pear at  a  disadvantage  by  contrast.  I  remember,  as 
a  point  in  fact,  a  very  large  hand  which  once  im- 
pressed me  as  so  graceful  and  ornamental  that  for 
the  moment  I  wondered  Avhy  anyone  ever  preferred 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


129 


small  hands  to  large  ones;  and  I  still  believe  that 
grace  and  beauty  in  this  member  are  not  so  much  a 
matter  of  size  as  of  intelligent  handling. 

The  first  and  most  difficult  lesson  to  learn  in  edu- 
cating the  hand  is  relaxation  and  repose;  how  to 
divest  it  of  life  from  wrist  to  finger-tips,  to  vitalize 
and  devitalize,  without  apparent  effort,  at  will. 
Nothing  is  more  fatal  to  art  and  grace  in  this  mem- 
ber than  clumsy  display  of  the  mechanism  by  which 
certain  very  desirable  ends  may  be  accomplished. 
The  effort  that  falls  short  of  art  and  degenerates 
into  affectation  is  so  vulgar  and  inexcusable  that 
one  knows  not  whether  to  pity  or  excoriate  the 
offender.  Still,  it  is  by  no  means  easy  for  nervous 
Americans,  at  least,  to  learn  control  of  their  hands, 
to  overcome  the  restless  and  unmeaning  fingering 
of  ornaments,  watch-chain,  rings  and  small  objects 
within  easy  reach  while  conversing  or  listening  to 
others.  When  the  actual  activity  of  the  fingers  has 
been  overcome,  it  is  more  difficult  yet  to  relax  joints 
and  muscles,  and  lay  these  members  down  in  a  re- 
poseful manner  which  will  compose  swollen  veins, 
smooth  out  harsh  lines,  and  reduce  the  unsightly 
redness  of  tense  and  overstrained  action.  Never- 
theless, perfect  grace  of  the  hand  in  activity  cannot 
be  acquired  until  one  has  become  master  of  the  art 
of  devitalization. 

There  are  many  different  exercises  for  relaxing 


130 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


the  muscles  of  the  hand;  but  I  have  seen  the  most 
wonderful  results  accomplished  by  merely  shaking 


the  wrists  backward  and  forward;  slowly  at  first, 
and  increasing  the  impetus  of  the  movement  until 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


the  hands  are  entirely  under  the  control  of  this 
wrist  force;  falling  apparently 'lifeless  upon  cessa- 
tion of  the  movement,  when  the  hand  is  ready  for 
its  first  lesson  in  vital  grace.  With  the  hand  and 
wrist  perfectly  passive,  raise  the  arm  at  full  length 
upward,  with  the  hand  falling  naturally  from  the 
wrist  in  its  relaxed  condition.  At  a  point  above 
the  head,  when  the  arm  is  fully  extended,  begin  the 
downward  movement,  introducing  life  at  the  wrist, 
and  gradually  into  the  entire  hand,  by  depressing 
the  wrist.  Remember  that  it  is  the  wrist  which 
must  vitalize  first,  the  hand  following  its  lead; 
otherwise  the  tendency  will  be  to  ignore  the  supe- 
rior claim  of  the  wrist  and  throw  the  hand  up  into 
an  angular  and  awkward  position,  and  the  lesson  of 
muscular  control  and  harmonious  activity  will  be 
lost,  because  it  is  impossible  to  acquire  graceful 
movement  of  the  hands  until  the  habit  of  continuity 
has  been  established,  that  is,  until  the  lesser  muscles 
obey  and  follow  the  lead  of  the  superior;  in  this  way 
and  this  only,  can  the  angles  and  awkwardness  of 
disconnected  and  jerky  movements  be  overcome. 
All  systems  of  physical  culture  give  exercises  for 
the  cultivation  of  gesture  and  dramatic  expression; 
some  good,  some  bad,  and  many  more  calculated  to 
make  the  student  self-conscious,  affected  and  ridicu- 
lous, as  those  who  anticipate  and  plan  the  effect  of 
any  gesture  before  making  it  must  always  appear; 


132 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


but  it  is  quite  possible  for  the  intelligent  student  of 
physical  grace  to  acquire  pleasing  movement  of  the 
hand,  and  the  habit  of  spontaneous  relaxation  and 
activity,  with  no  other  exercise  than  that  just  de- 
scribed and  illustrated  in  the  diagram.  It  is  by  no 
means  essential,  and  oftener  detrimental  to  the 
superf.cial  student  of  expression  than  otherwise,  to 
know  that  certain  attitudes  and  gestures  voice, 
dramatically,  certain  emotions.  If  muscles,  nerves 
and  joints  of  the  hand  are  under  sufficient  training 
to  be  free,  unconstrained  and  supple,  there  will  be 
no  lack  of  pleasing  and  appropriate  expression  in 
activity,  because  it  is  emotion  which  gives  subtlety 
and  variety  to  unconscious  and  spontaneous  move- 
ments, while  the  muscular  control  and  freedom  of 
function  essential  to  graceful  action  are  quite  as  im- 
portant to  express"ion  in  repose.  Hands  must  differ 
organically  just  as  faces  differ,  because  it  is  a  law  of 
nature  that  structure  should  correspond  to  function, 
and  differentiation  in  the  hands  of  individuals  of  the 
same  race  and  nation  will  correspond  to  the  mental 
characteristics  of  these  individuals,  since  the  hand 
is  the  active  physical  representative  of  specific 
thoughts,  desires,  capacities  and  occupations.  Ad- 
mitting organic  differences,  however,  there  is  no 
reason  why  any  hand,  except  those  condemned  to 
the  most  arduous  and  unceasing  manual  labor, 
should  not  acquire  certain  aesthetic  virtues  which 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY, 


will  be  independent  of  fundamental  character- 
istics. 

For  example,  a  thin,  meagre  hand  is  often  ren- 
dered less  attractive  by  a  habit  of  hugging  the  fin- 
gers together,  which  throws  the  knuckles  into  an 
awkward  and  prominent  position;  exaggerating  the 
thinness  of  the  hand,  giving  a  generally  stiff  and 
constrained  appearance.  This  defect  in  expression 
is  easily  overcome  by  relaxation,  and  no  better 
exercise  for  the  purpose  can  be  devised  than  the 
one  suggested.  As  the  hand  devitalizes,  the  fingers 
fall  apart  naturally,  the  knuckles  no  longer  stand 
out  in  aggressive  ugliness,  and  although  the  hand 
remains  thin  and  meagre  still,  ease  and  grace  have 
taken  the  place  of  stiffness  and  constraint.  The 
same  is  true,  in  a  degree,  of  other  types  of  hands, 
and  other  physical  irregularities.  A  broad,  thick, 
short-fingered  hand,  of  the  ''dumpy"  variety,  may 
be  greatly  improved  by  exercises  which  give  mental 
expression  and  muscular  flexibility.  Such  hands,  in 
a  crude  state,  usually  suggest  stupidity  and  clumsi- 
ness, and  belong  to  people  of  peasant  origin  and  of 
the  hard-working  class;  yet  their  physical  formation 
is  just  as  complex  as  that  of  the  most  exquisite  hand: 
the  normal  difference  lies  in  the  agents  which  move 
the  machinery — the  nervous  organization,  the  brain, 
the  will.  Mechanical  muscular  control  will  do  some- 
thing toward  refining  these  members;  but  their  best 


134 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


possibilities  cannot  be  realized  until  intelligent  men- 
tal direction  is  united  to  muscular  freedom,  for,  after 
all,  reason  rules  the  throne,  and  although  dependent 
upon  the  consent  and  cooperation  of  the  members 
governed  for  the  executive  ability  to  fulfill  its  com- 
mands, the  brain  remains  the  sovereign  power.  I 
might  go  on  indefinitely,  citing  physiognomical  dif- 
ferences in  hands,  which  are  almost  as  numerous  as 
those  of  faces,  but  always  to  the  same  purpose — to 
show  that  the  wider  the  range  of  mental  ideas,  the 
broader  the  sympathies,  the  more  varied  the  emotion- 
al experiences,  and  the  better  the  muscular  control 
gained  by  mechanical  means,  the  more  graceful,  beau- 
tiful and  diversified  will  be  the  expression  of  the  hand. 

After  expression,  the  important  consideration  is 
the  care  of  the  hands,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  that 
scrupulous  cleanliness  stands  first  in  the  order  of 
care-taking.  A  good  soap  is  indispensable,  and 
here  let  me  warn  my  reader  against  all  manner  of 
highly  scented  fancy  soaps.  Now  and  then  one  may 
find  a  manufacturer  conscientious  enough  not  to  in- 
troduce poisonous  animal  fats  into  the  ingredients  of 
which  his  soaps  are  composed;  but  the  ten^ptation 
to  make  a  marketable  article  at  a  very  cheap  rate  is 
too  great  for  the  larger  numbers,  and  safety  lies  in 
using  only  what  has  borne  the  test  of  years,  and 
good,  pure  white  Castile  or  olive-oil  soaps  are  safe; 
then,  again,  the  odor  of  scented  soap  lingering  about 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


the  hands  is  vulgar  and  offensive  to  refined  nostrils. 
If  a  brush  be  used  about  the  hands,  be  sure  that  it  is 
of  rubber  and  not  bristles;  the  former  will  leave  the 
hands  fair  and  smooth,  the  lader  will  irritate  and 
render  very  sensitive  skin  liable  to  roughness  and 
redness  when  exposed  to  the  air.  In  washing  the 
hands,  one  should  be  careful  to  dry  them  thoroughly, 
and  the  edge  around  the  root  of  the  nail  should 
always  be  pressed  back  gently  but  firmly.  To 
neglect  to  do  this  for  a  single  week  is  to  expose  the 
nails  to  an  unsightly  growth  of  rough  and  ragged 
skin,  which  it  will  be  difficult  to  remove  with  instru- 
ments without  bruising  the  nail  and  destroying  that 
delicate  selvage  edge  from  which  the  well-kept  nail, 
with  its  lunula  (the  white  half-moon),  shows  forth 
by  contrast,  a  delicate  pink  surface,  like  the  inner 
polish  of  an  exquisitely  tinted  sea-shell. 

No  matter  how  beautiful  the  shape  of  the  hand, 
nor  how  delicate  the  skin,  if  the  nails  are  irregular 
and  neglected,  it  is  evidence  enough  that  the  owner 
is  not  as  fastidious  as  the  gentlewoman  is  naturally 
expected  to  be.  No  excuse  of  lack  of  time  can  be 
urged 'for  what  is  plainly  neglect,  since  it  is  just  as 
easy,  in  washing  the  hands,  to  wipe  the  skin  back- 
ward, and  so  preserve  the  regularity  of  the  shape 
about  the  base  of  the  nail,  as  to  wipe  it  onto  the 
nails  and  there  allow  it  to  become  attached  until  all 
symmetry  is  destroyed. 


136 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


When,  from  ignorance  of  how  to  properly  care  for 
the  nails,  this  surrounding  skin  has  pushed  forward 
until  the  lunula  is  entirely  covered,  and  the  nail  is 
without  a  proper  setting,  the  treatment  with  instru- 
ments should  be  begun  very  carefully.  The  services 
of  an  experienced  manicure  are  not  easy  to  secure, 
except  in  the  larger  cities,  and,  besides,  every  lady 
can  easily  learn  to  become  physician  to  her  own 
nails.  Procure  a  proper  set  of  manicure  instruments 
— there  are  a  great  many  in  the  shops  suggesting  one 
use  and  another,  but  the  only  indispensable  articles 
are  a  file,  delicately  curved  scissors,  a  small  knife  or 
spade-shaped  instrument,  an  orange  stick,  a  tiny 
camel's-hair  brush,  a  chamois  polisher  (this  should 
be  large  and  strong  and  well-padded,  not  one  of  the 
tiny,  useless,  strictly  ornamental  kind  shown  in  most 
fancy  manicure  toilet-bQxes),  a  box  of  nail  cosmetic 
and  one  of  pink  nail  powder. 

Begin  treatment  by  soaking  the  hands  in  a  bowl 
of  soft  water — ^rain  and  distilled  water  are  best.  The 
temperature  should  be  just  above  tepid,  and  the 
water  should  be  well-soaped,  as  the  object  is  to 
soften  the  nails  and  loosen  the  clinging  skin  about 
the  roots.  When  the  skin  has  been  thoroughly  pre- 
pared, wipe  the  hands  very  carefully  and  begin  to 
force  the  knife  or  spade-like  instrument  between  the 
clinging  skin  and  the  nails,  very  gently  and  slowly 
at  first  in  order  not  to  tear  the  selvage  edge,  which 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


will,  if  it  once  becomes  ragged  and  inflamed,  take  a 
long  time  to  heal  and  assume  the  delicate  and  sym- 
metrical appearance  which  adds  so  much  to  the 
beauty  of  the  hand;  it  is,  moreover,  fatal  to  smooth- 
ness and  polish  to  bruise  and  crease  the  nails,  as  the 
ridges  thus  made  can  only  be  gotten  rid  of  by  taking 
time  to  grow  out  afresh. 

When  the  neglect  to  wipe  the  skin  back  from  the 
root  of  the  nail  has  been  due  to  ignorance  of  the 
proper  methods  of  caring  for  the  hands,  it  follows 
that  the  trouble  will  require  much  patience  to  cor- 
rect, and  one  should  not  be  discouraged  if  very 
little  is  accomplished  each  day,  for  the  reward  of 
careful  work  is  sure  to  come  in  time.  I  have  known 
cases  which  required  from  ten  to  fifteen  minutes 
daily,  for  several  weeks,  before  the  desired  end  was 
accomplished;  but  what  a  surprise  and  delight  the 
result  was  ! 

After  carefully  using  the  instrument  and  wiping 
back  the  skin  all  that  one  can  each  day,  without 
irritating  either  skin  or  nails,  the  point  of  the  nails 
should  next  receive  attention.  The  nail  should  be 
pared  and  filed  to  curve  from  side  to  side,  and  it 
should  never  be  allowed  to  extend  beyond  the  tip 
of  the  finger  further  than  is  necessary  as  an  actual 
protection  to  the  finger  itself:  more  than  this  is  sug- 
gestive of  a  talon  or  claw,  or  of  the  practices  of  cer- 
•  tain  pagan  fanatics,  who,  for  one  reason  and  an- 


138 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


other,  allow  the  nails  to  grow  to  abnormal  and  dis- 
gusting lengths.  After  paring  and  filing  the  nails 
until  the  edge  is  perfectly  rounded,  take  the  camel's- 
hair  brush  and  apply  a  very  little  of  the  pink  nail 
cosmetic  to  the  centre  of  the  nail,  avoiding  getting 
it  under  the  selvage  edge,  or  the  nail  itself;  then,  with 
the  chamois  polisher  dipped  in  the  nail  powder,  rub 
across  the  nails  vigorously  until  they  are  glowing 
and  warm  from  the  friction,  when  the  hand  should 
again  be  carefully  washed  and  the  nails  wiped  up 
and  down,  still  pushing  the  skin  backward. 

After  all  is  done,  take  the  flat,  broadly  pointed 
end  of  the  orange  stick,  and  run  gently  under  the 
skin  and  under  the  nail,  at  the  tip,  to  remove  any 
possible  clinging  remnant  of  cosmetic,  powder,  skin 
or  foreign  matter;  afterward  each  nail  should  be 
polished  for  a  moment  with  the  thumb  of  the  other 
hand,  and  the  result  will  show  nails  refined,  almost 
transparent,  tinted  a  beautiful,  delicate  pink  and  ex- 
quisitely polished. 

Some  persons  recommend  an  acid  preparation  to 
remove  stains  from  the  fingers  and  nails;  but  as 
these  are  apt  to  be  poisonous,  and  consequently 
dangerous,  I  prefer  the  simple  juice  of  a  lemon, 
which  will  answer  the  same  purpose  and  do  no 
harm.  Where  the  nails  have  received  the  treat- 
ment described  until  they  are  in  perfect  condition, 
it  is  not  necessary  to  pare  and  file  the  tips  oftener 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


than  twice  a  week,  and  the  orange  stick  with  the 
cosmetic  and  powder  applied  every  other  day  will 
keep  them  looking  beautiful;  in  other  words,  five 
minutes  a  day  will  be  quite  time  enough  to  give  to 
the  nails  when  they  have  once  become  the  objects 
of  artistic  attention;  and  under  this  kind  of  care 
agnails  or  hangnails,  popularly  called,  will  disap- 
pear. 

The  white  spots  which  sometimes  mar  the  beauty 
of  the  nails  can  usually  be  removed  by  a  paste 
made  of  refined  pitch  and  myrrh  mixed  together. 
This  paste  should  be  put  on  at  night,  and  in  the 
morning  rubbed  off  with  cream  or  olive-oil. 

After  the  care  of  the  nails,  means  for  whitening 
and  improving  the  skin  of  the  hands  should  next  be 
considered;  and  in  this  connection  let  me  say  at 
once  that  nothing  is  more  fatal  to  the  delicacy  and 
refinement  of  the  hand  than  wearing  clothing  so 
tight  as  to  stop  the  free  circulation  of  the  blood  in 
any  part  of  the  body.  The  practice  of  lacing  the 
waist,  wearing  very  close  sleeves,  and  gloves  into 
which  the  hands  are  literally  stuffed,  often  results  in 
red  or  spotted  hands  with  swollen,  prominent  veins. 
Nature  demands  compensation  for  abuse  of  her 
laws,  we  may  be  sure,  and  she  enforces  her  behests 
in  ways  which  leave  no  manner  of  doubt  as  to  her 
integrity  of  purpose. 

To  treat  the  skin  of  the  hands  according  to  the 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


individual  needs,  one  must  consider  occupations 
first,  and  next  the  natural  texture  of  the  skin.  To 
those  whose  lives  are  idle  and  involve  no  exposure 
of  the  hands  to  rough  and  irritating  conditions,  very 
gentle  treatment  with  distilled  or  rain  water  and 
pure  soap,  and  the  wearing  of  loose  gloves  at  night 
will  usually  suffice  to  give  the  fine  grain  and  deli- 
cacy of  tinting  which  are  so  desirable;  but  for  those 
who  take  more  or  less  part  in  the  active  duties  of 
the  world,  whose  hands  daily  concern  themselves 
with  household  duties  or  rough  work  of  other  de- 
scription, entirely  different  treatment  is  necessary. 

There  are  many  kinds  of  toil  that  have  the  ten- 
dency to  roughen  and  redden  the  hand,  which  might 
be  performed  in  gloves  with  perfect  ease;  but,  even 
where  the  hands  are  exposed  to  rough  conditions, 
washing  in  soft  water  with  good  soap,  and  drying 
carefully,  will  remove  much  of  the  evidence  of  rough 
usage,  and  there  are  oils — almond  and  olive  oils  are 
best — and  simple  lotions,  that  any  druggist  can  com- 
pound, of  rose-water,  benzoin  and  borax,  which  will 
produce  excellent  results  in  beautifying  and  refining 
the  hands. 

The  hard-working  woman  should  keep  upon  her 
wash-stand  a  piece  of  pumice-stone  for  removing 
callosities,  plenty  of  wheat  bran  and  almond-meal, 
and  a  bottle  of  almond-oil  to  rub  well  into  the  skin 
after  the  final  washing  at  night,  before  putting  on  a 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


141 


pair  of  large,  soft  leather  gloves;  and  she  should 
not  neglect  during  the  day  to  wash  the  hands  care- 
fully after  performing  any  unusually  coarse  work,  as 
she  can  save  the  delicacy  of  the  skin  very  much  by 
this  immediate  attention  to  the  removal  of  the  stains 
of  toil. 

In  giving  directions,  however,  for  the  care  of  the 
hands  of  working  women,  it  must  not  be  supposed 
that  I  regard  the  extreme  delicacy  of  a  weak  and 
useless  hand  as  a  greater  beauty  than  that  which 
shows  the  result  of  fine  action,  and  proclaims  itself 
able  to  perform  some  worthy  service  every  day,  be- 
cause the  most  beautiful  hand  will  always  be  that 
one  which  suggests  capacity,  which  reveals  the 
presence  of  highly  gifted  skill  in  some  given  direc- 
tion; it  is  only  when  such  hands  are  neglected,  and 
denied  the  fastidious  care  which  is  evidence  of  a  re- 
fined personality,  that  the  visible  signs-  of  toil  become 
degrading. 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE  FEET. 


ROBABLY  no  other  part  of  the 
human  form,  except  the  waist,  has 
suffered  more  abuse  and  distor- 
tion, especially  among  civilized 
people,  than  the  feet.  Sur- 
;eon-chiropodists  tell 
us  of  the  most  dis- 
tressing diseases, 
the  result  of 
cramping  and 
pressure  from 
badly  made  and 
tight-fitting  shoes; 
and  students  of 
graceful  carriage 
are  shocked  to  find 
how  few  women  are 
able  to  poise  the  body 
firmly  and  elegantly, 
because  of  deformity  of  the  feet  brought  about 
through  ignorance  of  the  complex  mechanism  of 
these  useful  members,  and  bungling  efforts  to  im- 
prove upon  their  natural  shape. 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


We  are  apt  to  exclaim  in  horror  at  the  Chinese 
practice  of  breaking  and  turning  under  the  toes  of 
their  high-caste  women  to  arrest  growth;  but  I  am 
not  sure  that  many  of  our  own  practices  do  not  pro- 
duce results  equally  disastrous  and  excruciatingly 
painful. 

Corns  and  bunions  are  evidence  that  the  shoes  are 
worn  too  tight,  and  generally  ill-fitting.  No  amount 
of  denial  will  change  the  fact;  and  the  first  step  to 
be  taken  toward  a  cure  is  to  have  one's  shoes 
properly  made  by  an  experienced  workman  accord- 
ing to  the  anatomy  of  the  foot,  allowing  sufficient 
length,  and  with  soles  broad  enough  to  give  the  ball 
of  the  foot  perfect  flexibility  and  muscular  play. 

The  small-foot  mania  is  an  absurd  one.  Feet 
should  correspond  to  general  size,  and  a  very  small 
foot  on  a  very  large  person  is  as  far  removed  from 
symmetry  as  a  very  large  foot  on  a  very  small  per- 
son. 

To  be  really  beautiful,  the  feet  must  be  in  propor- 
tion to  the  rest  of  the  structure,  with  a  fine  instep, 
curved  heel,  and  individual  toes.  Ancient  statuary 
shows  us  the  human  foot  in  its  purity.  The  modern 
fashionable  foot  is  a  type  of  degradation,  which 
argues  not  only  want  of  artistic  appreciation,  but 
lack  of  practical  common  sense,  for  what  man  or 
woman  can  lay  claim  to  fine  mental  balance,  who  will 
deliberately  stump  through  life  with  ungraceful  gait. 


144 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


or  twisted  toes,  with  joints  pressed  out  of  place,  in- 
growing nails,  and  painful  corns  ? 

Proper  treatment  of  the  feet  is  a  subject  worthy  of 
serious  consideration,  and  parents  should  begin  the 
work  of  caring  for  the  feet  of  their  children,  to  avoid 
all  disease  and  suffering,  in  early  infancy,  great  at- 
tention being  given  to  the  shape  and  make  of  shoes 
during  the  period  when  the  bones  are  soft  and  pliable. 
Under  no  circumstances  should  a  child  be  allowed 
to  wear  heels  to  throw  the  spine  out  of  poise,  nor 
should  old  shoes  be  worn  a  day  after  they  fail  to 
admit  flexibility  of  the  muscles  and  freedom  of  the 
joints,  for  upon  the  buoyancy  and  elasticity  of  these 
parts  health  and  grace  depend.  Far  better  for  a 
child  to  go  barefooted  than  to  wear,  for  a  single  day, 
a  pair  of  cramping  shoes.  Neither  are  the  evil 
effects  of  tight  and  irregularly  shaped  shoes  confined 
to  the  feet;  the  nervous  system  suffers,  and  the  cir- 
culation of  the  blood  is  greatly  disturbed. 

Shoes  should  be  long  enough  and  broad  enough 
to  admit  throwing  the  full  weight  of  the  body  upon 
the  ball  of  the  foot  without  a  sensation  of  uncomfort- 
able pressure  anywhere. 

In  the  care  of  the  feet,  bathing  comes  first.  The 
feet  require  a  daily  sponge  bath,  at  least,  with  care- 
ful wiping  between  the  toes.  The  nails  should  al- 
ways be  left  even  with  the  ends  of  the  toes,  as  a 
protection,  and  the  selvage  around  the  root  of  the 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


nail  should  be  cared  for  sufficiently  to  keep  the  skin 
raised  and  free. 

Where  the  feet  have  already  suffered  abuse,  and 
are  distorted  and  crippled,  much  patient  care  will  be 
needed  to  restore  them  to  health,  if  not  to  perfect 
symmetry.  Shoes  well  made,  with  broad  soles,  and 
sufficiently  large,  are  the  first  requisite,  in  order 
that  a  natural  motion  of  the  foot  may  be  gradually 
established. 

It  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  foot  can- 
not be  clothed  elegantly  and  attractively  in  any 
except  shoes  with  high  heels  and  pointed  toes. 
Admiration  of  such  an  abnormal  shape  is  evidence 
of  vicious  taste.  It  is  true  that  some  of  the  so-called 
hygienic  shoes  have  been  very  clumsy  and  unattract- 
ive affairs;  but  there  are  makers  who  select  their 
stock  carefully,  and  give  a  finish  and  workmanship 
to  properly  constructed  boots  which  make  them 
really  far  more  elegant  and  refined  to  look  upon 
than  the  unnatural  things  shown  by  the  average 
bootseller.  To  fit  the  foot  perfectly,  and  be  well 
adapted  to  its  purpose,  a  walking  boot  should  give 
just  enough  freedom  for  use  of  all  the  muscles  and 
joints  in  walking,  but  should  not  sit  upon  the  foot 
slouchily;  a  boot  when  too  large  will  produce  blis- 
ters and  affect  the  walk  unpleasantly.  The  instep 
and  ankle  should  be  firmly  held,  and  there  should 

be  no  slipping  of  the  foot. 
10 


146 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


For  house  wear  the  only  really  artistic  foot-cloth- 
ing is  a  soft  sandal.  I  have  been  able  to  coax  boot- 
makers (at  exorbitant  prices)  into  providing  me, 
upon  different  occasions,  with  Suede  embroidered 
slipper-sandals,  without  heels,  with  soft  soles;  and 
how  beautiful  they  were  !  even  my  ultra-fashionable 
friends,  upon  their  stilt-heels,  with  five  toes  in  the 
space  demanded  by  three,  were  forced  to  admit  it, 
and  admit,  also,  that  they  envied  my  delicious  sense 
of  freedom. 

When  the  demand  for  this  style  of  shoe  will  war- 
rant it,  we  shall  find  the  makers  quite  as  ready  to 
devote  skill  to  their  production  as  to  those  which 
are  now  shown  in  the  shops.  With  dealers,  it  is  a 
question  of  demand,  and  whether  there  is  money  in 
it.  Good  sense  and  artistic  appreciation  can  create 
a  demand. 

We  look  upon  some  of  the  shoes  worn  in  past 
ages  with  a  certain  kind  of  wonder  and  curiosity, 
especially  those  with  toes  curling  over  like  a  hook, 
as  shown  in  our  illustration;  but,  after  all,  there  is 
nothing  about  this  design  to  indicate  that  it  was 
more  uncomfortable  for  the  foot  of  the  wearer  than 
some  of  the  shapes  worn  at  the  present  time. 

The  study  of  foot-clothing  in  different  periods  of 
the  world's  history,  and  among  different  people,  is 
interesting.  With  the  Egyptians,  great  attention 
was  paid  to  the  beauty  of  the  sandals.  Even  at  that 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


147 


early  date  some  of  those  worn  by  ladies  of  rank  were 
turned  up  at  the  end  like  our  skates;  others  had  a 
flat  point;  others  were  rounded  at  the  tip.  These 
sandals  were  made  of  interlaced  palm-leaves  and 
papyrus-stalks,  and  of  leather,  interlined  with  cloth, 
upon  which  figures  were  painted. 

In  Isaiah  iii.  16-18,  an  ornament  is  mentioned 
which  seems  to  have  been  a  kind  of  high  heel  of 
metal,  which  tinkled  as  the  wearer  walked. 

Little  is  known  of  the  shoes  of  the  Greeks;  but 
their  statues  show  respect  for  the  anatomical  pro- 
portion, which  proves  that  the  foot  was  preserved 
in  its  purity.  Pythagoras  is  reported  to  have  or- 
dered his  disciples  to  wear  sandals  made  of  the 
bark  of  trees;  but  history  would  seem  to  point  to 
the  fact  that,  as  the  love  of  ornament  increased,  san- 
dals became  remarkable  for  the  magnificence  of  their 
embroidery  and  precious  stones. 

Homer  says: 

"  And  on  his  feet  the  golden  sandal  shone," 

The  Romans  wore  a  shoe  called  calcetis,  which 
covered  the  whole  foot.  They  also  wore  sandals. 
The  shoes  of  the  patricians  often  reached  to  the  mid- 
dle of  the  leg;  and,  although  black  was  used  for 
occasions  of  elegance,  red  was  a  favorite  color,  and 
the  ornaments  gold,  silver  and  precious  stones.  Ro- 
man women  wore  white,  red  and  purple,  adorned 
with  embroidery,  and  even  pearls. 


148 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


c  u  1  e  from 
poets  and  his- 
t  o  r  i  a  n  s,  as 
well   as  cen- 
sure from  the 
clergy.  The 
length  of 
shoes  at  one 
period  is  de- 
scribed as  sufficient  to  embar- 
rass the  wearer  in  walking,  and 
require  that  the  points  should 
be  fastened  to  the  knees  by 
small  chains. 

Because  of  our  generally  ad- 
vanced knowledge  upon  all 
subjects  pertaining  to  health 
and   comfort,  I  am  sanguine 


Illustrations  of  the  shoes 
worn  at  different  periods  are 
interesting  merely  as  a  matter 
of  knowledge;  for  there  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  any 
logical  evolution  of  the  shoe, 
great  absurdities  having  been 
encouraged  at  different  times, 
and  modified  at  others.  From 
the  time  of 
Rufus  to  that 
of  Henry 
VII.,  shoes 
were  so  ex- 
travagant in 
shape  as  to 
excite  ridi- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


149 


ous  effects  for 
foot  -  clothing 
for  elegant  oc- 
casions; and  I 
decidedly  fa- 
vor a  corre- 
spondence be- 
tween  the 
dress  and  boot 
worn   for  the 

promenade.  An  especially  at- 
tractive boot  is  one  which  has 
a  vamp  of  serviceable  leather, 
and  a  cloth  top  matching  the 
general  character  of  the  walk- 
ing-dress. 

Should  it  be  possible  to  es- 
tablish, as  I  believe  it  will,  in 
time,  a  short  dress  for  women 


that  the  foot-clothing  of  the 
next  generation  will  be  far  bet- 
ter and  more  healthful  than 
that  of  the  present.  There  is 
unquestioned  evidence  to  sup- 
port this  belief  at  this  time.  As 
more  attention  is  given  to  phys- 
ical culture,  to  grace  of  carriage 
and  artistic  clothing,  feet  must 
come  in  for 
their  propor- 
tion of  the 
general  bene- 
fits. There  is 
no  reason  why 
we  should  not 
encourage  rich 
and  sumptu- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


who  must,  of  necessity,  walk  a  great  deal,  and,  in  the 
pursuance  of  active  duties  in  the  world,  go  out  in  all 
kinds  of  weather,  high  boots  to  meet  the  skirt  will 
come  in  for  a  large  share  of  thought  and  attention, 
and  I  see  no  reason  why  ingenuity  and  skill  should 
not  devise  something  at  once  hygienic  and  artistically 
attractive.  The  mistake  made  with  the  feet,  as  well 
as  with  other  parts  of  the  body,  is  in  trying  to  adorn 
and  beautify  contrary  to  the  self-evident  demands  of 
nature,  instead  of  in  strict  harmony  with  her  laws. 
As  we  grow  wiser  we  shall  see  our  mistake,  and  an 
era  of  good  sense  will  follow,  in  which  the  natural 
rights  and  the  possible  beauty  of  feet  will  surely  be 
recognized. 

Where  such  unhappy  conditions  as  corns  and 
bunions  exist,  the  following  recipes  will  be  found 
helpful: 

FOR  BUNIONS. 

Applied  daily  with  camel's-hair  brush: 

Glycerine,    .       .       ,       .       .       .2  drachms. 
CarboUc  Acid,        .       ,       .       ,  2 
Tincture  of  Iodine,     .       .       .       .2  " 

FOR  CORNS. 

Applied  daily,  until  the  growth  can  easily  be 
scraped  away: 

Borate  of  Sodium,  .  .  .  .  i  drachm. 
Extract  of  Cannabis,  .  .  .  .  i  scruple. 
Collodion,    .       .       .       .       .       .       i  ounce. 


CHAPTER  XL 


DRESS  IN  ALL  AGES. 


'HE  whole  history  of  dress,  among 
both  civilized  and  savage  races, 
goes  to  prove  that  the  love  of  or- 
namentation is  inborn  in  the  human 
breast,  although  dress  in  pre- 
historic times  consisted  of  very 
few  garments.  Great  labor 
was  expended  by  people  of 
caste  in  producing  ma- 
terials of  the  finest  qual- 
ity and  richest  elabora- 
tion of  gold  and  silver  and 
jeweled  embroideries.  The 
earliest  races  of  which  we 
have  any  authentic  account 
are  Semitic  —  Assyrians, 
Babylonians,  Jews,  Egyp- 
tians, Scythians.  All  of 
these  early  people,  men  and  women, 
contented  themselves  with  two,  or, 
at  most,  three  garments.  The  principal  dresses  men- 
tioned in  the  Bible  are  the  tunic  and  the  mantle. 
The  former  was  made  of  linen,  with  sleeves,  and 


I  5  2  PH  YSICA  L  BE  A  UTY. 

was  bound  round  with  a  girdle  at  the  waist.  The 
wealthy  also  wore  skirts.  The  early  priests,  it  would 
seem  from  Exodus  xxviii.  42  (1491  B.  c),  wore  cov- 
ering for  the  legs  :  And  thou  shalt  make  them 
linen  breeches  to  cover  their  nakedness;  from  the 
loins  even  to  the  thighs  they  shall  reach." 

Mantles,  among  the  Hebrews, 
were  made  of  different  materials, 
four-cornered,  and  were,  accord- 
ing to  the  law  of  Moses,  border- 
ed with  fringes  and  ribbands  of 
blue.  Herodotus  mentions  some 
Egyptian  dresses  of  linen,  with 
a  fringe  bordering  the  legs.  The 
custom  of  using  fringes  upon  their 
dresses  was  also  common  to  the 
Israelites.  There  was  little  dif- 
ference between  the  garments  of 
men  and  women,  as  shown  by 
the  monuments  of  the  early  The- 
ban  dynasties.  The  long,  loose 
robe  and  girdle  seem  to  have 
been  common  to  both.  Slaves,  and  all  who  were 
obliged  to  labor,  were  clad  in  an  apron  girt  about 
the  loins. 

The  beauty  and  richness  of  the  flowing  Assyrian 
dress  was  so  celebrated  that  the  invention  was  at- 
tributed to  Semiramis.    This  wonderful  robe  was  in 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


two  parts,  the  under  part  richly  embroidered  and 
fringed,  and  confined  with  a  girdle  having  cords  and 
tassels.  Over  this  garment,  a  second  garment  was 
worn,  nearly  the  length  of  the  first,  open  in  front,  and 
also  richly  trimmed.  It  would  appear  that  the 
wealthy  among  all  of  the  earlier 
races  wore  flowing  robes,  many 
of  them  of  almost  barbaric 
splendor  of  coloring 
and  ornamentation.  It 
is  not  until  we  turn  to 
the  northern  Asiatics,  those 
hardy,  war-like  tribes  who,  at 
various  times,  carried  their  con- 
quering arms  far  to  the  West 
and  South,  that  we  find  partic- 
ular mention  of  other  styles  of 
dress.  These  people  were  dis- 
tinguished from  all  others  by 
their  long,  loose  trousers,  called 
by  them  bracal,  and  it  was  their 
descendants  who,  under  Cyrus, 
in  the  course  of  conquest,  B.  C. 
538,  introduced  these  useful  garments  into  classic 
Greece. 

The  Greeks,  however,  were  fond  of  long,  flowing 
robes,  which  were  suited  to  their  climate  and  man- 
ner of  living.  At  that  time  they  were  not  an  aggres- 


154 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY, 


sive  nation  like  their  trousered  neighbors,  but  were 
given  to  pleasure  and  intellectual  pursuits.  It  is 
easy  to  picture  the  gay  Athenian  youths  crowding 
around  the  philosophers  and  scholars  in  public 
places,  clad  in  the  short  tunic  and  graceful  folds  of 
the  pallituii. 

The  dress  of  Greek  women  was  perfect  in  its  noble 
simplicity.  Homer  gives  us  a  charming  picture  of 
the  fair  goddess,  Saturnia: 

"Around  her  next  a  .heavenly  mantle  flow'd, 
That  rich  with  Pallas  labour'd  colors  glow'd, 
Large  clasps  of  gold  the  foldings  gathered  round; 
A  golden  zone  her  swelling  bosom  bound; 
Ear-beaming  pendants  tremble  in  her  ear, 
Each  gem  illumined  with  a  triple  star; 
Then  o'er  her  head  she  cast  a  veil,  more  white 
Than  new-fall'n  snow,  and  dazzling  as  the  light." 

There  were  two  quite  distinct  styles  of  dress 
among  women.  The  first,  worn  by  the  unmarried 
women  of  Sparta,  was  known  as  the  Dorian  chiton, 
and  was  noted  for  its  simplicity;  it  was,  in  fact,  so  very 
simple,  being  only  a  single  light  garment  fastened 
with  clasps  down  the  side,  that  it  did  not  escape  the 
criticism  of  the  carping,  even  in  those  early  days 
when  the  human  form  was  idealized,  and  looked 
upon  with  a  much  purer  spirit,  in  consequence,  than 
with  succeeding  ages.  Over  this  garment  was  worn 
the  Doric  stola,\N\\\Q\i  was  fastened  on  the  shoulders 
with  clasps,  leaving  the  arms  bare.     The  lonians 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


wore  a  long  linen  cJiiton,  with  sleeves.  This  garment 
reached  to  the  ground,  and  over  it  was  worn  a  flow- 
ing robe  or  kind  of  wrapper,  confined  with  a  girdle, 
which  was  sometimes  fastened  high  up  under  the 
bosom,  sometimes  low  down,  according  to  the  fash- 
ion of  the  hour. 

Embroidery  appears  to  have  attained  to  the  great- 
est degree  of  art  and 
beauty.  In  the  Iliad  and 
Odyssey  it  is  often  men- 
tioned. Ladies,  with  their 
own  cunning  fingers, 
worked  pictures  and  sto- 
ries into  the  willing  fabric. 
Thus,  Helen,  we  are  told, 

"The  golden  web  her  own  sad 
story  crown'd." 

The  Romans  also  wore 
loose  and  graceful  gar- 
ments, all  borrowed  in 
general  style  from  the 
Greeks,  but  bearing  dif- 
ferent names.  The  stately  patrician,  as  he  wended 
his  way  to  the  senate,  wrapped  his  toga  closer,  or 
drew  one  end  of  it  over  his  head  for  protection  from 
the  weather,  while  the  fair  Roman  matron,  clad  in 
costly  stola,  loosely  bound  with  a  jeweled  girdle, 


156 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


presided  in  her  lord's  house  with  grace  and  dignity, 
to  which  her  flowing,  classic  garments  contributed 
very  largely. 

The  world  has  never  seen  any  costume  for  women 
more  artistically  beautiful  than  were  some  of  the 
early  Greek  and  Roman  robes.  The  best  proof  that 
this  is  true  is  afforded  by  the  artistic  appreciation 
bestowed,  after  twenty  centuries  of  change  and 
evolution,  upon  one  of  these  ancient  classic  styles, 
when  well  carried  out  upon  the  stage,  and  the  ab- 
horrence, by  contrast,  of  a  modern  fashion-plate 
when  as  many  years  have  passed. 

With  the  decadence  of  Rome's  superior  civil  pow- 
ers, there  began  a  change  in  dress  which  recognized 
the  practical  advantages  for  war  and  work  afforded 
by  the  trousers  of  the  active,  barbarian  races,  while 
the  latter  in  their  turn,  attracted,  no  doubt,  by  the 
beauty  of  the  classic  dress,  adopted  it  in  part.  From 
the  fifth  century  there  was,  therefore,  an  incongruous 
blending  of  the  Roman  classic  style  with  the  pre- 
eminently utilitarian.  Planche  writes  of  dress  dur- 
ing the  first  centuries  of  the  Christian  era:  "We 
must  resort  to  those  mosaics  of  Italy  which  have 
been  preserved  for  us,  for  a  view  of  those  dresses 
and  ornaments  which,  worn  at  the  court  of  Con- 
stantinople, became  the  fashion  amongst  all  the 
various  races  that  had  overrun  the  west  of  Europe 
during  the  first  five  centuries  of  the  Christian  era: 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


the  Greeks,  the  Goths,  the  Franks,  and  the  Lom- 
bards. In  the  Reviie  ArcJieologique^  1830,  are  cop- 
ies of  two  mosaics  from  the  originals  at  St.  Vital, 
Ravenna,  one  representing  the  Emperor  Justinian, 
his  court,  and  the  clergy  of  Ravenna,  and  the  other 
his  wife,  the  Empress  Theodora,  and  her  attendants, 
said  to  have  been  the  work  of  artists  about  the  year 
540.  A  singular  mixture  of  Greek,  Roman  and 
Asiatic  decoration  gives  a  peculiar  character  to  the 
costumes  of  all  classes  at  this  period  of  the  Eastern 
empire,  and  it  will  be  also  remarked  that  while  an 
oriental  taste  was  gradually  increasing  to  the  oblit- 
eration of  all  tke  features  of  ancient  Roman  classical 
dress  amongst  the  people  in,  and  adjacent  to, Constan- 
tinople, the  Franks  and  other  Scythic  or  Teutonic 
nations  occupying  the  old  provinces  of  Rome,  were 
assuming  more  and  more  the  dress  and  habits  of  the 
former  empire  of  the  West."  The  same  authority 
also  says  that  **the  garments  of  the  principal  inhab- 
itants of  Europe  were,  during  the  three  centuries 
following  the  establishment  of  Saxons  in  England 
and  Franks  in  Gaul,  as  similar  as  are  at  this  day 
those  of  their  descendants,"  which,  until  the  Nor- 
man Conquest,  were  quite  simple,  varying  but  little 
from  time  to  time.  The  Normans,  however,  who 
were  noted  for  their  love  of  fine  apparel,  introduced 
many  absurdities  into  dress.  In  the  twelfth  century 
sleeves  and  gowns  were  carried  to  a  preposterous 


158 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


length;  garments  were  made  closer,  and  tight-lacing 
came  into  vogue. 

Although  Terence,  a  dramatist  of  the  sixth  cen- 
tury, B.C.,  mentions  "ladies  who  strait-lace  their 
waists  to  make  them  well-shaped,"  there  is  little  in- 
formation regarding  stays  during  succeeding  ages 
until  about  the  twelfth  century;  and  certain  it  is 
that  neither  among  the  Greeks  nor  Romans  was 
there  any  attempt  at  unnatural  compression  of  the 
waist,  although  some  early  writers  give  accounts  of 
a  garment  which  may  have  performed  the  office  of 
a  partial  support  for  the  bosom  with  the  women  of 
both  of  these  nations. 

Writers  of  mediaeval  times  niake  many  allusions 
to  the  wasp-like  appearance  of  the  ladies.  Chaucer 
tells  of  a  beauty — 

"  Sore  pleasant  and  neat  with  all 
Gentle  and  in  her  middle  small." 

A  "pair  of  bodies"  is  mentioned  in  the  fifteenth 
century,  and  in  the  sixteenth,  Catherine  de  Medicis, 
amone  her  other  crimes,  invented  a  corset  which 
consisted  of  two  pieces  opened  longitudinally  by 
hinges,  secured  by  a  hasp  and  pin,  and  like  an  ordi- 
nary box-fastening.  During  her  rule  at  the  French 
court,  a  thirteen-inch  waist  measure  was  the  ac- 
cepted standard  of  beauty. 

But  men  as  well  as  women  patronized  this  cruel 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


and  barbarous  instrument  of  compression  at  this 
period,  so  wide-spread  was  the  desire  to  be  wand- 
Hke,  and  even  as  late  as  the  time  of  George  III. 
tailors  advertised  Codrington  Corsets  and  Peter- 
sham stiffness  for  the  benefit  of  gentlemen  of  fashion." 
Fifteenth-century  gallants  must  have  been  most  mis- 
erable in  their  clothing,  for 
the  tunic  was  then  worn 
close  and  short,  and  the 
long,  loose  trousers  of  the 
earlier  races  had  given  place 
to  tight  hose;  so  tight,  in- 
deed, that  one  writer  de- 
clares that  gentlemen  were 
obliged  to  have  assistance 
in  dressing  and  undressing 
themselves.  I  am  willing  to 
confess  that  at  this  distance 
of  time,  and  in  view  of  some 
absurdities  that  still  obtain 
among  women,  it  is  pleasant 
to  review  the  fact  that  men 
of  past  ages  were  not  always  above  indulging  in  the 
uncomfortable,  and  even  grotesque,  for  mere  fash- 
ion's sake;  if,  indeed,  the  sex  may  be  said  to  be 
entirely  above  reproach  in  this  respect  to-day. 

About  the  same  time  that  men  tricked  themselves 
out  in  this  uncomfortable  manner,  women  began  to 


i6o 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


wear  that  most  impossible  head- 
dress, handed  down  in  history  as 
a  hennin.  Monstrelet  describes 
them  as  a  ''sort  of  round  cap, 
gradually  diminishing  to  the 
height  of  half  an  ell  or  three- 
quarters,"  and  relates  "that  some 
wore  them  with  loose  kerchief- 
straps  hanging  down,  sometimes 
as  low  as  the  ground."  Addison, 
in  the  Spectator,  tells  of  the  monk, 
Thomas  Connecte,  who  traveled 
from  town  to  town,  preaching 
down  this  monstrosity  with  such 
success  that 


many  of  the 
women  threw 
down  their 
head-dresses  in  the  middle  of 
his  sermon,  and  made  a  bonfire 
of  them  in  sight  of  the  pulpit. 
Previous  to  the  introduction  of 
th.Q  hennin  Isabella  of  Bavaria, 
Queen  of  Charles  VI.  of  France, 
is  represented  (in  an  MS.  of  the 
fifteenth  century)  with  a  heart- 
shaped  head-dress  high  enough 
to  give  one  a  belief  in  the  story 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


i6i 


that  she  carried  the  fashion  to  such  an  extent  that 
the  doors  of  the  palace  at  Vincennes  were  altered 
to  allow  her,  and  the  ladies  attending  her,  ingress 
and  egress  in  full  dress. 

In  the  same  century  (1403)  Henry  IV.  considered 
it  necessary  to  have  a  statute  enacted  to  partially 
prohibit  the  reckless  luxury  of  the  times  in  dress. 
Garments  were  then  cut  and  slashed  on  the  edges, 
embroidered  with  pearls,  and  ornamented  with  gold 
pieces;  in  fact,  every  imaginable  extravagance  was 
indulged  for  the  sake  of  show.  The  statute  provided 
that  no  person  except  those  of  high  estate  should 
wear  any  cloth  of  gold,  of  crimson,  of  velvet,  nor 
hanging  sleeves,  open  or  closed,  nor  his  gown  so 
long  as  to  touch  the  ground.  That  the  wife  of  an 
esquire,  if  she  be  not  ennobled,  shall  not  use  any 
furs  of  ermine.  Four  years  afterward  another  statute 
was  added,  by  which  it  was  ordained  that  no  man, 
let  his  condition  be  what  it  might,  should  be  per- 
mitted to  wear  a  gown  or  garment  cut  or  slashed 
into  pieces  in  the  form  of  letters,  rose-leaves,  or 
posies  of  any  kind.  It  is  recorded  that  the  sleeves 
of  the  houppelande  oi  Charles,  Duke  of  Orleans,  were 
embroidered  in  gold  and  pearls  in  the  words  of  a 
song.  The  lines  of  the  music  were  worked  in  gold 
thread,  and  each  note  was  formed  with  four  pearls. 

The  sleeves  of  the  garments  of  both  men  and 

women  were  generally,  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
II 


l62 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


separate  articles,  taken  from  or  added  to  the  body 
of  the  dress  by  means  of  buttons.  There  are  entries 
of  sleeves  in  the  wardrobe  of  Henry  VIII.,  which 
read,  "a  pair  of  trunche  sleeves  of  green  velvet, 
richly  embroidered  with  flowers  of  damaske  gold 

foil."  Another  account  in 
manuscript  is  of  "three  pair 
of  purple  satin  sleeves  for 
women;  one  pair  of  linen 
sleeves,  paned  with  gold 
over  the  arm,  quilted  with 
black  silk,  and  wrought 
with  flowers  between  the 
panes  and  at  the  hands." 

At  the  close  of  the  fif- 
teenth century,  a  writer 
observes  the  dress  of  the 
English  to  have  been  ex- 
ceedingly fanciful  and  ah^- 
surd,  so  much  so  that  it 
was  difficult  to  distinguish 
one  sex  from  the  other.  In 
the  time  of  good  Queen  Bess  came  the  enormous 
ruffs,  so  exciting  the  wrath  of  Stubbs  that  he  wrote 
in  1583:  "There  is  a  certain  liquid  matter,  which 
they  call  starch,  wherein  the  devil  hath  learned 
them  to  wash  and  dye  their  ruffs,  which,  being  dry, 
will  then  stand  stiff  and  inflexible  about  their  necks." 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY,  1 63 

Both  censure  and  ridicule  were  called  forth  by  the 
vertugale  or  vertngade^  which  is  described  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  II.  of  France  as  a  sort  of  cage  worn 
under  the  petticoat,  to  which,  at  that  period,  it  gave 
the  shape  of  a  bell.  This  monstrous  invention  in- 
creased in  rotundity  for  women  (at  the  same  time 
came  in  the  trunk- hose  for  men),  until,  in  the  reign 
of  Elizabeth,  it  be- 
came of  the  most 
preposterous 
shape,  and  made 
one  look  as  if 
standing  in  a 
drum,  as  Sir  Rog- 
er de  Coverly  de- 
scribed a  portrait 
of  his  great-great- 
grandmother . 

vertugale,  or, 
as  it  was  popularly 
known  in  Eng- 
land, farthingale,  Queen  Elizabeth  wore  in  having 
one  of  her  most  celebrated  portraits  made;  and  the 
disfiguring  fashion  continued  through  the  entire 
reign  of  her  successor,  James  I.  During  the  reign 
of  Charles  II.  it  disappeared,  and  did  not  return 
until  the  eighteenth  century,  when  it  came  back  in 
the  form  of  the  hoop. 


164 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY, 


In  171 1  the  spectator  declares  the  dress  of  wom- 
en to  have  been  so  covered  with  lace  frills  and 
flouncings  that  the  wife  of  a  high  dignitary  looked 
furbelowed  from  head  to  foot;   every  ribbon  was 


wrinkled,  and  every  part  of  her  garments  in  curl,  so 
that  she  looked  like  one  of  those  animals  which  in 
the  country  are  called  Friesland  hens. 

During  our  own  century  fashion  has  witnessed 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


some  wonderful  and  almost  incredible  exaggerations 
and  contradictions  of  the  human  semblance  in  the 
voluminous  skirts  and  flouncings  of  our  grandmoth- 
ers, and  the  enormous  hoop-skirts  of  our  mothers, 


whose  pictures,  taken  in  these  barrel-like  co.ntriv- 
ances,  topped  with  the  corner-wise  folded  shawl  and 
cape-bonnets  then  in  vogue,  look  very  much  like 
animated  pyramids.    Even  in  our  own  day  the  Gre- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


167 


cian  bend  (why  Grecian  ?  since  one  would  think  that 
a  Grecian  woman  would  surely  rise  out  of  the  dust 
of  centuries  to  rebel  against  the  abuse  of  the  word), 
like  the  hump  of  the  kangaroo,  and  the  tie-back,  and 
the  rigidly  corseted  waist,  and  the  bustle,  and  all  of 
the  other  wretched  novelties  of  fashion,  leave  a  sus- 
picion upon  the  thinking  mind  that  we  have  some- 
thing yet  to  learn  before  we  may  presume  to  sit  in 
judgment  upon  the  taste  and  customs  in  dress  of 
those  who  have  lived  in  other  centuries  of  the  world's 
history. 

In  closing  this  chapter,  however,  with  the  pleas- 
ant anticipation  of  giving  a  glimpse  of  something 
really  better  in  the  way  of  dress  in  my  next,  I  will 
add  that  I  do  not  believe  that  many  of  these  latest 
exaggerations  of  fashion  could  possibly  be  revived 
again,  now  or  hereafter;  for,  with  the  wider  interests 
which  women  are  making  for  themselves  in  the  live 
world,  there  comes  a  corresponding  grasp  of  things 
real  and  beautiful  in  their  essential  nature,  which 
must  lead  to  the  triumph  of  higher  'physical  ideals, 
as  well  as  of  moral  and  mental  interests. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


DRESS  AS  IT  SHOULD  BE  FOR  HEALTH 
AND  ARTISTIC  EFFECT. 


T  has  been  shown,  by  a  cursory  glance  at 
dress  in  different  ages  of  the  world's  his- 
tory, that  simplicity  and  art  in 
personal  adornment  have  be- 
longed to  those  periods  when 
correct    anatomical  propor- 
tions have  been  idealized  and 
exalted.    With  indifference  to 
physical  development  comes  a 
corresponding    disregard  for 
the  laws  of  healthful  and  ar- 
tistic clothing;  and,  artificial- 
ity taking  the  place  of  art,  one 
exaggeration  follows  another 
until  all  appreciation  for  nat- 
uralness and  beauty  in  unity 
and     proportion    is  lost. 
Pleasure  in  contemplation 
of  the  ideally  beautiful  is 
merged  into  a  feverish  thirst 
for  novelty,  and  the  work  of 
the  gownmaker  and   milliner  de- 

i68 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


169 


generates  into  a  servile  effort  to  furnish  new  sensa- 
tions to  degraded  and  satiated  taste. 

For  centuries  the  world  of  fashion  has  been  ruled 
by  unsesthetic  and  ignorant  despots  who,  knowing 
nothing  of  the  laws  of  proportion  and  symmetry 
themselves,  have,  by  ridicule  and  the  strength  of 
numbers,  overridden  the  objections  of  those  who 
ventured  to  suggest  the  possibility  of  something 
better,  and  manifestly  more  in  harmony  with  the 
laws  of  nature  and  art  as  exemplified  in  the  greatest 
works  of  the  great  masters  of  antiquity. 

The  difficulties  in  the  way  of  establishing  correct 
ideals  of  dress  have  hitherto,  in  our  own  generation, 
been  traceable  to  several  causes,  the  most  important 
being  a  lack  of  physically  perfect  models  who  could 
demonstrate  the  artistic  superiority  of  a  free  and 
simple  system  of  clothing,  by  contrast  with  accepted 
fashions,  to  the  advantage  of  the  former;  because,  in 
combating  ignorance  and  prejudice,  and  especially 
preconceived  and  strongly  established  habits  and 
customs,  it  is  necessary  to  appeal  to  the  eye  as  well 
as  to  common  sense. 

Wide-spread  indifference  to  physical  culture,  and 
the  general  employment  of  artificial  aids  to  deficient 
natural  charms  had  resulted  in  establishing  a  cor- 
responding deterioration  in  the  development  of  cer- 
tain parts  of  the  bodily  structure;  and,  in  conse- 
quence, many  muscles  and  nerve-centres  refused  to 


170 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


perform  the  service  essential  to  contest  for  the  palm 
of  superiority  between  nature  and  artifice.  Nature 
wore  her  improved  garments;  but  "  She  wore  them 
not  handsomely,"  because  of  her  own  physical  de- 
ficiencies. Artifice,  however,  from  long  experience 
and  the  aplomb  which  comes  from  association  with 
an  approving  world,  smiled  serenely,  and  challenged 
comparison  with  herself,  which  inevitably  resulted 
in  her  own  favor,  and  Nature,  outwitted  by  the  Philis- 
tines, retired  vanquished,  but  not  convinced,  to 
search  within  herself  for  the  cause  of  her  own  dis- 
comfiture. 

From  such  unequal  contests,  and  their  logical  ap- 
plication, there  sprang  up  gradually  a  sentiment  in 
favor  of  the  revival  of  physical  culture,  and  with  the 
scientific  developmiCnt  of  finer  natural  figures  among 
the  few,  and  their  adoption  of  clothing  fashioned 
after  a  healthful  and  artistic  character,  it  was  prov- 
en that  nature  and  art  may  be  made  to  combine  to 
produce  results  which  appeal  to  the  most  prejudiced 
as  superior  to  mere  novelty. 

Physical  culture  has  come  to  stay;  so  has  an  im- 
proved form  of  dress,  although  it  must  not  be  sup- 
posed that  I  believe  that  all  women  of  the  present 
generation  have  the  figures  calculated  to  show  off 
this  better  style  of  dress  to  advantage.  It  is  the 
younger  generation,  and  others  to  come  after  them, 
who  will  benefit  most  by  the  present  impetus  to 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


171 


vital  development  and  sensible  dress.  Efforts  at 
innovations  upon  deforming  fashions  are  meeting 
with  success,  because  each  passing  year  adds  its 
own  quota  of  proof  that  the  natural  beauty  and  ad- 
vantages of  physique  gained  by  exercise  and  health- 
ful dress  render  women  attractive  and  strictly 
womanly  to  a  degree  impossible  under  false  and  un- 
natural restraints. 

The  work  of  improving  woman's  dress  has  nothing 
whatever  to  do  with  "  dress  reform,"  popularly  so- 
called.  Improvements  are  not  revolutionary:  they 
are  evolutionary.  In  my  own  platform  work,  which 
has  been  so  widely  noticed  in  the  newspapers,  and, 
I  may  add,  so  generously  and  kindly  noticed,  I  have 
always  deprecated  the  well-meant  efforts  of  some 
writers  and  reporters  to  give  a  sensationally  at- 
tractive turn  by  declaring  that  women  were  rushing 
headlong  into  the  new  idea,  I  have,  it  is  true,  the 
desire  to  prove  that  the  simple,  refined,  modified  un- 
dergarments which  comprise  the  system  advocated 
by  me  are  an  improvement  over  other  garments 
hitherto  worn  by  women. 

But  there  has  been  nothing  sensational  in  the 
purpose,  as  the  work  is  one  of  profound  importance 
to  the  betterment  of  woman's  physical  condition, 
and  not  in  the  nature  of  a  fad.  That  these  garments 
shall  win  popular  favor  against  all  preconceived 
prejudice  is  inevitable,  because  they  aim  at  the  first 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


essentials  of  correct  clothing — freedom  for  the  body, 
ease  of  movement,  perfect  fit  without  superfluous 
material,  restrictions,  weight,  bands  or  clumsiness; 
in  other  words  the  simple,  sufficient  clothing  of  the 
natural  structure,  in  harmony  with  its  own  demands 
and  physical  laws.  Only  the  women  who  cling  to 
a  tradition  will  object  to  the  perfect-fitting  Ypsilanti 
Union  garment's  taking  the  place  of  the  old  style  of 
merino  vests  and  drawers,  for  there  is  no  comparison 
between  the  two  in  point  of  artistic  excellence  and 
attractiveness.  The  former  fits  the  figure,  as  it  is 
shaped  from  the  neck  to  wrists  and  ankles.  One 
bright  woman,  in  her  grateful  appreciation,  calls  it 

my  second  skin,"  and  all  who  have  made  the 
change  wonder  that  anyone  can  still  be  found  to 
wear  the  two  clumsy  garments,  with  their  super- 
fluous fullness  which  serves  no  useful  purpose. 

The  corset  was  more  difficult  of  attack  for  two 
very  good  reasons:  First,  because  it  had  been  a 
part  of  woman's  wardrobe  for  such  a  length  of  time 
that  it  had  come  to  be  looked  upon  as  an  absolute 
necessity  to  an  erect  carriage  and  proper  support 
for  the  figure;  and  second,  because  (whatever  the 
abuse  of  its  principles  from  time  to  time)  it  undoubt- 
edly at  first  had  rise  in  an  essential  law  of  beauty, 
the  desire  for  a  full  chest  and  rounded  bust,  and  a 
slender  curved  and  graceful  line  of  the  body  and 
waist.    Necessarily  the   garment  failed  of  its  own 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


purpose,  and,  where  deliberately  laced,  developed 
the  inartistic  disadvantage  of  squared  shoulders, 
prominent  collar  bones,  and  exaggerated  hips;  but 
the  object  sought  was  a  natural  and  beautiful  one; 
the  mistake,  in  supposing  that  the  artificial  compres- 
sion and  dislocation  of  any  part  would  produce  a  re- 
sult preeminently  dependent  upon  a  very  high  form  of 
artistic  physical  development  and  muscular  control. 

Physical  exercises  which  raise  the  chest  properly, 
and  lower  the  shoudlers,  will  keep  the  clavicle  in 
proper  position,  and  give  an  exquisite  line  of  throat 
and  neck;  exercises  which  develop  the  glands  of 
the  bosom,  and  strengthen  the  diaphragm  and  mus- 
cles over  the  vital  organs,  will  elongate  the  body, 
and  give  the  correct  slenderness  to  the  waist  at 
which  the  corset  aims,  and  in  which  it  necessarily 
fails,  because  the  constant  pressure  of  steels  and 
much  stiffness  shrinks  and  debilitates  the  muscles, 
rendering  the  flesh  flabby,  and  exaggerating  the 
bony  structure  in  consequence. 

There  is  no  objection  to  a  corset-waist  when  worn 
loosely  enough  to  avoid  all  compression  and  serve 
as  a  bosom  support  merely,  and  I  am  willing,  in  view 
of  the  present  fashion  of  wearing  the  smoothly  fitting 
corsage  for  street  costumes,  to  admit  that  such  a  style 
of  garment  looks  really  better  over  the  slenderly 
boned  Model  Bodice  or  Equipoise  Waist  than  when 
worn  without;  but  these  garments  are  free  from  the 


174 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


obnoxious  steels  and  stiffness  which  render  the  cor- 
set such  a  dangerous  foe  to  health  and  graceful  car- 
riage. Although  the  corset  may  be  worn  ever  so 
loosely,  and  one  may  (which  is  rarely  the  case)  be 
able  to  stand  perfectly  erect  with  the  shoulders  slop- 
ing, the  chest  raised,  the  body  fully  extended,  with 
the  abdomen  well  drawn  in,  and  a  curved  line  at  the 
back,  the  moment  the  wearer  sits  the  corset  steel 
inclines  inward  to  accommodate  itself  to  the  position, 
and  pressure  begins  upon  the  stomach  and  diaphragm 
which,  in  time,  shortens  the  front  length  of  the  body 
from  the  neck,  drawing  it  downward  perceptibly  and 
ungracefully,  crowding  the  bosom  up  and  the  abdo- 
men forward  and  vulgarly  out  of  place. 

The  woman  who  loves  a  frou-frou  of  unmeaning 
and  burdensome  stuffs  hanging  about  her  body  may 
reg-ret  the  chemises  and  drawers,  corset  covers  and 

o 

petticoats;  but  the  sensible  woman,  who  loves  free- 
dom for  out-of-door  exercise  and  a  sensation  of 
bodily  power,  will  gladly  exchange  these  four  gar- 
ments for  the  two  perfect-fitting,  light-weight,  beau- 
tiful, and  graceful  garments  which  take  their  place 
—the  chemilette  and  divided  skirt  ;  the  former  a 
fitted  waist  combined  with  legs;  the  latter,  two  softly 
flowing  skirts  upon  one  yoke. 

The  divided  skirt  is  superior  to  the  ordinary  pet- 
ticoat from  every  point  of  view,  and  although  I  favor 
a  close-fitting,  woven  garment  for  winter  wear  under 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY.  ^  1 75 


the  outside  dress,  there  are  many  occasions  which 
demand  the  full  skirt.  The  divided  garment  cannot 
wind  about  the  legs  in  windy  weather,  it  falls  in  soft 
folds  around  each  member  so  that  much  less  weight 
suffices  for  an  equal  amount  of  warmth;  it  is  carried 
forward  at  each  step  in  walking,  and  does  not  hang 
out  behind  to  get  bedraggled  and  soiled,  and  the 
division  does  away  with  the  muscular  resistance  from 
a  multiplication  of  petticoats  falling  directly  in  front 
of  the  instep  and  knees — above  all,  the  garment  is 
far  more  modest  than  a  petticoat,  under  which  the 
legs  move  without  sufficient  clothing  to  form  a  prop- 
er protection  in  case  of  accident. 

Regarding  the  outside  dress,  when  the  question  of 
getting  rid  of  bands  and  weight  has  been  solved  by 
the  gown-form  foundation,  which  is  a  simple  arrange- 
ment of  waist  and  skirt  in  one  piece,  for  the  purpose 
of  equally  distributing  the  necessary  weight  of  the 
drapery  to  the  hips  and  shoulders,  the  whole  prob- 
lem is  resolved  into  an  inquiry  as  to  how  to  make 
the  ornamental  side  of  dress  a  matter  of  sensible  har- 
monies, rather  than  of  novelty  and  ingeniousness. 
Woman's  dress  can  never  be  quite  perfect  until  it  be- 
comes an  external  indication  of  its  own  general  pur- 
pose; in  other  words,  the  aesthetic  quality  must  be 
considered  in  connection  with  its  uses,  so  that  every 
condition  of  life  may  enjoy  its  legitimate  and  per- 
fectly convenient  style  of  clothing. 


176 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


In  the  matter  of  congruity,  dress  has  improved 
during  the  last  ten  years,  and  much  that  formerly 
offended  good  taste  is  no  longer  seen  upon  the  pub- 
lic streets.  Correct  dress  must  accord  with  the  three 
forces  of  nature — size,  motion,  and  attraction.  To 
those  who  think  about  it,  there  is  a  fitness  and  senti- 
ment in  dress  which  requires  that  care  be  taken  in  the 
adaptation  of  means  to  ends;  and  while  we  may  rea- 
sonably demand  variety,  contrast,  and  alternation  in 
woman's  dress,  we  must  hold  the  triumph  of  ease  and 
grace  as  superior  to  all  other  considerations. 

Art  in  dress  requires  that  the  materials  be  chosen 
with  no  less  regard  for  the  physical  characteristics 
of  the  wearer  than  for  the  occasions  uppn  which  they 
are  to  be  worn.  Dress  having  an  optical  value  in 
the  sensation  of  suitableness  conveyed,  whatever  is 
unnatural  in  shape  or  design  offends  against  refined 
and  cultivated  sensibility.  The  present  idea  in 
clothing  is  as  much  to  conceal^,  as  to  protect  from  the 
elements;  and  although  simple  and  primitive  nudity 
is  nowhere  considered  suggestive  or  indecent,  yet,  in 
countries  where  civilization  has  invented  and  pro- 
claimed the  laws  of  modesty  according  to  certain 
arbitrary  standards  of  its  own,  whatever  deviates 
from  these  standards  becomes  at  once  offensive; 
hence,  the  dignity  of  modern  dress  depends  upon  sug- 
gesting rather  than  defining  the  perfect  shape;  and 
so  long  as  this  custom  of  concealment  stands  for 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


moral  law  refinement  demands  consistency,  and  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  clothing  should  be  made  after 
a  manner  which  would  enhance  without  exaggerat- 
ing any  suggestive  part  of  the  form,  especially  the 
bosom,  abdomen,  and  hips. 

Strict  regard  for  the  laws  of  dress  and  ornament 
would  lead  one  to  avoid  striking  contrasts,  for  the 
effects  produced  by  consonance  and  subtlety  are 
much  more  pleasing  and  powerful  than  are  exagger- 
ations, which  at  first  shock  and  afterward  blunt 
aesthetic  appreciation.  To  those  who  regard  dress 
as  a  trivial  and  unimportant  question,  little  can  be 
said  which  will  prove  convincing  concerning  aesthetic 
principles,  for  sensibility  must  be  cultivated;  but, 
fortunately  for  the  future  of  correct  dress,  these  per- 
sons are  in  a  minority,  and  the  triumph  of  utility  and 
beauty  must  follow  naturally  upon  the  heels  of  grow- 
ing refinement  and  artistic  culture,  for  there  is  a 
charm  in  the  careful  attention  to  distinct  principles  in 
dress,  which  is  no  less  fascinating  than  the  touch  of 
the  master's  brush  on  a  fine  painting.  Dress  is  all- 
important,  because  it  portrays  elevation  of  character 
as  unmistakably  as  does  the  behavior  or  conversa- 
tion, and  for  this  reason  those  who  are  really  inter- 
ested in  the  science  and  art  of  dressing  believe  in 
the  ultimate  triumph  of  what  is  correct  and  sym- 
metrical. 

In  the  future  more  attention  will  be  paid  to  dress, 
12 


178 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


to  clothing  the  body  so  that  the  integrity  of  natural 
functions  shall  be  considered  in  connection  with 
picturesque  and  pleasing  effects;  but  whatever  the 
ends  to  be  obtained,  whether  simple  or  elaborate, 
means  consistent  with  natural  and  individual  condi- 
tions will  be  employed.  It  is  a  duty  which  each  one 
owes  to  society,  to  dress  well,  and  by  dressing  well, 
I  mean  in  keeping  with  one's  station.  I  do  not  re- 
gard my  cook  as  well  dressed  when  she  wears  a 
satin  dress,  at  seventy-five  cents  a  yard,  trimmed  with 
cotton  lace,  to  church  and  for  holidays,  and,  since 
she  cannot  afford  to  buy  a  better  quality,  I  do  not 
consider  that  satin  belongs  to  her  position.  She  is 
well  dressed  when  she  wears  a  serviceable  cotton 
or  Avoolen  fabric  only.  The  same  discriminations 
should  be  applied  to  every  station  in  life,  for  in 
this  way  we  reach  definite  conclusions  regarding 
what  is  and  what  is  not,  strictly  speaking,  "well 
dressed." 

No  well-regulated  man  or  woman  can  be  imper- 
vious to  the  advantages  and  delights  of  fine  costum- 
ing. A  really  well-dressed  person  is  a  recognized 
power.  In  proof,  one  does  not  apologize  so  obse- 
quiously to  the  tramp  out-at-the-elbows,  whom  one 
has  jostled  in  a  crowd,  as  to  the  elegantly  attired, 
whose  faultlessly  made  garments  bespeak  care  and 
attention  to  details,  because  one  associates  fine  de- 
tail with  fine  manners,  and  when  one  finds  the 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


179 


former  not  accompanied  with  good  breeding  the 
shock  is  greater  than  in  the  case  of  the  tramp. 

Again,  slovenly,  careless  dress  is  offensive,  be- 
cause not  consistent  with  perceptible  unities  in 
nature.  The  human  body  is,  in  itself,  a  type  of  order 
demanding  orderly  attention;  and  one  will  often 
find  that  the  person  who  professes  total  indifference 
to  dress  is  lacking  in  appreciation  of  the  subtler 
features  of  natural  beauty.  They  will  admit  sub- 
limity and  grandeur  on  a  large  scale,  but  take  little 
or  no  pleasure  out  of  the  intricate  geometrical  regu- 
larity of  the  marvelous  works  of  nature's  lower 
kingdoms. 

Lack  of  artistic  appreciation  of  dress  is  by  no 
means  evidence  of  mental  superiority,  but  rather  a 
lamentable  argument  that  certain  faculties  have 
been  stimulated  and  developed  at  the  expense  of 
others,  for  a  thoroughly  well-rounded  person  finds 
delight  in  all  beauty,  and  can  no  more  tolerate  dis- 
cordance and  disorder  in  clothes  than  in  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  score  of  an  opera,  or  the  finished 
work  of  an  artist. 

I  believe  that  the  dress  education  of  the  future 
will  produce  a  reaction  from  much  that  has  been  of- 
fensive and  crude  in  the  past.  True  appreciation  of 
clothes  will  develop  a  sense  of  eternal  fitness.  When 
this  time  comes,  women  who  now  offend  good  taste 
by  a  display  of  cheap  silks,  satins,  and  jewelry,  be- 


i8o 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY, 


cause  they  may  be  called  by  important  names,  will 
recognize  the  real  articles  as  the  natural  accompani- 
ments of  wealth  and  station,  not  suited  to  ordinary 
street  wear,  and,  consequently,  out  of  place  in  the 
woman's  wardrobe  whose  social  duties  and  pleasures 
are  limited  to  church  festivals  and  an  occasional 
round  of  calls  upon  neighbors  in  a  corresponding 
station  in  life.  Imitations  of  fine  articles  will  become 
objectionable  to  the  thoughtful,  just  as  sham  virtues 
now  disgust  the  student  of  moral  science.  The 
woman  in  moderate  circumstances  will  learn  to  ap- 
preciate fine  wools,  the  best  of  their  kind;  to  value 
their  wearing  qualities  and  simple  unpretence,  and  to 
content  herself  with  such  goods  in  fine  texture  and 
rich  coloring,  because  of  their  artistic  value  in  lights 
and  shades  hidden  in  their  soft  folds.  Carefully 
adapting  such  materials  to  her  own  peculiarities  in 
style  and  fit,  she  will  be  recognized  for  a  lady  (in  the 
dignified  sense  of  the  term),  because  the  instincts  of 
refined  taste  are  the  unmistakable  evidences  of  men- 
tal and  moral  superiority. 

Many  inexpensive  materials  are,  when  well  chosen, 
most  refreshing  to  the  eyes.  India  muslin  is  an  ex- 
quisite fabric,  which  lends  itself  to  charming  effects; 
wool  and  silk  mixtures  often  please  aesthetic  sensi- 
bilities, as  the  simple  domestic  fireside  delights  the 
heart.  Cashmeres,  serges,  and  crepes  all  drape 
well  and  are  beautiful  in  color  effects.  Indeed, 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


l8l 


woman's  natural  desire  to  dress  herself  becomingly 
can  be  realized,  whatever  her  social  station  or  the 
limits  of  her  pocket-book,  if  she  considers  her  own 
face,  figure,  temperament,  and  general  style  and  use, 
and  determines  to  conform  to  all  of  these  essentials 
in  selecting  materials. 

A  housemaid  in  a  cotton  velvet  basque  (which  I 
have  seen),  with  her  hair  in  curl-papers  and  rock 

diamonds  "  in  her  ears,  is  a  sight  to  set  one's  teeth 
on  edge;  while  a  maid  in  a  clean,  freshly  ironed 
gown  of  confessed  cotton  fabric,  with  a  snowy  apron 
and  muslin  cap,  commands  a  certain  measure  of  re- 
spect for  intelligent  adaptation  of  clothes  to  their 
proper  uses;  one  offends,  while  the  other  pleases,  the 
eye. 

I  heard  a  lady  say  of  a  former  servant  who  had 
suddenly  fallen  heir  to  wealth:  "  She  will  make  as 
good  a  lady  as  she  did  maid,  for  she  had  the  finest 
sense  of  propriety  that  I  ever  knew;  she  never  covet- 
ed my  cast-off  finery,  and  did  not  want  what  she 
could  not  wear  with  propriety."  And  why,  after  all, 
should  one  who  has  no  use  for  grand  stuffs  want  them 
And  why  should  any  woman  of  sense  object  to  wear- 
ing a  gown  suitable  to  her  work  or  a  given  occasion  } 
My  blood  was  set  boiling  once  by  overhearing  a 
coarse  man  ask  of  another,  doubtfully,  in  a  store,  con- 
cerning a  girl  behind  the  counter,  ''Respectable,  eh.^^" 
But  upon  sober  second  thought,  I  saw  that  the  young 


l82 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


woman  had  invited  the  query,  for  she  was  dressed 
in  a  way  to  suggest  that  her  salary  as  saleswoman 
would  not  pay  for  her  clothing". 

Not  long  since,  I  was  walking  up  and  down  the 
platform  at  a  railroad  station,  when  a  very  large  and 
red-faced  woman,  whose  gloveless  hands,  covered 
with  rings  full  of  showy  stones,  bespoke  rough  work, 
swept  along  in  the  gorgeousness  of  silks,  velvets, 
laces  and  glittering  chains,  all  miserable  imitations; 
and  every  eye  followed  the  self-conscious  strut  with 
more  or  less  of  amusement.  Poor,  untrained  crea- 
ture !  a  miserable  caricature  of  elegance  and  fash- 
ion, yet  her  garb  represented  at  least  three  months' 
wages.  The  same  woman,  properly  clothed,  would 
have  passed  unnoticed:  or,  if  noticed  at  all,  without 
provoking  merriment,  and  the  result  to  her  pocket 
would  have  been  a  saving  of  many  dollars  for  the 
rainy  day. 

The  best-dressed  class  of  Americans  are  the  re- 
fined wealthy.  They  dress  quietly  upon  the  streets, 
inconspicuously  at  church,  and  suitably  for  all  occa- 
sions. Especially  is  this  true  in  the  East,  where 
custom  demands  quieter  dress  than  in  many  West- 
ern cities  and  towns.  But  everywhere,  throughout 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  it  is  wealth 
which  gives  prestige  to  the  plain  and  refined  wool 
walking-dress;  for  no  woman  of  elegance  would  be 
seen  upon  the  ordinary  thoroughfare  dressed  in  the 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


183 


flamboyant  style  which  invites  the  patronage  of  many 
Vv'ho  have  Httle  money  to  spend,  and  a  seeming  de- 
termination, for  that  reason,  to  get  all  of  the  show 
possible  out  of  a  little. 

While  the  subject  of  dressing  well  is  worthy  the 
genius  of  the  best  artists  and  writers,  the  reason  why 
it  is  everyone's  duty  to  dress  well  can  be  given  in  a 
few  words — because  a  well-dressed  person  is  a  pleas- 
ing object  to  look  upon,  suggesting  refinement  of 
personal  feelings;  and  true  refinement  is  confined  to 
neither  the  palace  nor  cottage.  A  well  -  dressed 
person  is  not  a  discordant  element  anywhere,  be- 
cause such  a  one  is  always  dressed  in  garments  suit- 
able to  the  work  and  requirements  of  the  hour.  Neat- 
ness and  order  in  dress  are  first  principles,  and  the 
result  is  good,  whether  the  materials  used  be  silk 
or  calico. 

Since  dressing  well  stands  for  duty,  nothing  ex- 
cuses a  self-respecting  person  in  any  walk  in  life  for 
offending  by  careless  and  slovenly  attire;  and  the 
employer  who  allows  his  help  to  offend,  or  the  mis- 
tress who  permits  her  servant  to  go  about  in  soiled 
garments,  with  unkempt  hair,  is  guilty  of  offense 
against  others'  rights  and  privileges;  for  their  pre- 
rogatives as  employers  give  the  undoubted  right  to 
exact  clean  and  orderly  habits  of  dress.  « 

Of  the  man  or  woman  of  social  pretensions  who 
boasts  indifference  to  dress,  and  carries  his  or  her 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


contempt  to  the  point  of  ignoring  the  demands  of 
refined  life  in  careful  attention  to  neatness  and  or- 
der, if  not  to  elegance,  it  must  be  said  that  a  host 
or  hostess  should  refuse  to  invite  them  a  second  time 
into  the  sacred  inner  circle  of  a  self-respecting 
home. 

Dress,  having  taken  an  impetus  in  the  right  direc- 
tion, must  modify  more  and  more  to  meet  individual 
requirements  and  the  demands  of  different  occa- 
sions. It  is  certain  that  practical  gowns  embodying 
simplicity  and  attractiveness  must  be  evolved  by  the 
genius  of  coming  years  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
active  interests  in  the  world.  Already  women  are 
adopting  yachting-costumes,  fencing-gowns  and  rid- 
ing-dresses, made  with  a  view  to  their  uses,  and  one 
need  not  be  over-sanguine  to  predict  that  these  sensi- 
ble modifications  will,  in  time,  extend  to  all  dress,  un- 
til, as  it  was  in  man's  case  when  civil,  industrial  and 
military  pursuits  became  engrossing  occupations,  em- 
barrassing covering  will  give  place  to  that  better 
adapted  to  the  exigencies  of  each  one's  calling.  Al- 
ready the  dem.and  for  such  change  has  been  sounded 
in  no  unmistakable  tones  from  the  platform  of  the 
convention  of  women  met  in  national  council.  Their 
demand  was  for  something  adapted  to  the  needs  of 
working  women.  They  did  not  seek  to  interfere  with 
anybody's  personal  love  of  the  picturesque  and  or- 
namental, nor  did  they  ask  for  the  recognition  of  a 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


uniform  to  which  everybody  must  subscribe;  but 
soberly,  and  in  the  spirit  of  women  who  are  con- 
vinced of  a  great  and  growing  need,  these  earnest 
spirits  invited  general  thought,  discussion,  plans  and 
suggestions,  looking  to  the  easy  adoption  of  a  sen- 
sible dress  for  women  who  must  conserve  bodily 
strength  for  their  necessary  activities. 

This  demand  seems  to  me  to  be  evolutionary  and 
progressive;  and,  coming  from  such  a  source,  the 
very  fountainhead  of  amalgamated  public  interests 
among  women,  it  cannot  be  lightly  passed  over  and 
ignored;  it  has  a  meaning  which  must  command  re- 
spectful attention. 

For  occasions  requiring  picturesque  effects  some- 
thing quite  different  in  general  design  and  drapery 
from  the  fashions  patronized  by  the  constantly  act- 
ive will  certainly  come  into  favor  to  remain.  I  in- 
cline to  the  belief  that  it  will  be  something  nearer 
and  nearer  to  the  ancient  classical  ideals;  the  love 
of  novelty  and  display  seeking  expression  in  rich 
materials  and  elaborate  embroideries,  rather  than  in 
ever  -  changing  style  and  cut.  Through  all  dress, 
however,  there  must  be  a  more  general  adaptation 
to  the  special  needs  of  the  individual.  For  example, 
what  is  suitable  to  a  person  of  slender,  graceful  pro- 
portions is  almost  certain  to  be  fatal  to  the  attract- 
iveness of  a  very  stout  woman,  and  vice  versa;  and 
why  should  not  one  spend  the  time  to  know  herself 


i86 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


artistically,  and,  having  decided  whether  she  requires 
amplitude  of  width  in  her  gowns,  or  the  opposite 
effect,  adopt  a  general  system  of  clothing  conform- 
ing to  her  own  requirements  ? 

I  know  a  woman  who  did  this  many  years  ago, 
and  she  is  regarded  as  decidedly  the  best-dressed 
woman  in  her  own  city.  For  years  she  has  kept  to 
certain  fixed  laws  in  dress,  no  matter  what  the 
changes  in  general  fashions,  and,  by  common  con- 
sent, her  ultra  friends,  who  alter  their  own  gowns  to 
correspond  to  every  passing  caprice  of  fashion,  de- 
clare hers  a  picture.  "  But  we  could  not  do  it,"  they 
add,  deprecatingly,  "  without  looking  like  frights; 
her  face  and  hair  and  form  all  combine  to  make  it 
possible."  To  be  sure,  that  is  the  secret  in  a  nut- 
shell; the  style  for  her  gown  was  carefully  thought 
out  with  reference  to  her  face  and  hair  and  form. 
Each  separate  member  was  considered  by  itself, 
then  all  were  considered  together,  and  one  effect 
after  another  was  carefully  tried  until  the  result  sat- 
isfied critical  judgment;  then  there  was  no  further 
change.  Yet  her  dress  is  never  monotgnous,  al- 
though she  wears  only  three  different  colors— grays, 
browns  and  blacks. 

In  one  day  I  saw  her  in  four  different  costumes 
for  four  different  occasion,  each  perfect  in  itself,  and 
each  conforming  to  her  own  well-considered  require- 
ments.    The  first  was  a  very  delicate  dove-gray 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


187 


cashmere  morning-robe,  which  carried  out  the  es- 
sential principles  of  great  plainness  and  length  of 
line  from  the  arm  to  the  ankle  over  the  hip,  with  much 
soft  drapery  in  the  front  to  disguise  a  rather  promi- 
nent development  of  the  bosom.  The  back  was  form- 
ed into  a  gathered  Watteau  from  the  neck,  still  with 
the  object  to  suggest  greater  height  and  slenderness. 

The  second  was  a  carriage  and  calling  dress  of  a 
plain  soft  black  and  striped  velvety  material  in  com- 
bination. There  was  a  similar  but  more  elaborate 
effect  of  front  drapery  than  in  the  morning,  to  tone 
down  the  bosom;  and  there  was  at  the  side,  back, 
centre-back,  and  under  the  arms  a  fitted  arrange- 
ment of  the  striped  material  falling  perfectly  plain 
the  entire  length  of  the  body,  to  give  the  necessary 
suggestion  of  height.  A  pleating  was  let  into  the 
back  of  the  shoulders,  and  fell  in  long,  fan-shaped 
drapery  over  the  striped  material  to  the  bottom  of 
the  dress. 

The  third  was  a  tea-gown  of  embroidered  crepe- 
de-Chine,  a  black-wrought  leaf  on  a  gray  ground. 
This  was  simply  a  mass  of  s^oft  folds  back  and  front, 
falling  straight  from  the  neck  to  the  floor,  and  loose- 
ly confined  with  a  silver  girdle  high  up  under  the 
bosom,  after  th©  manner  of  the  Empire  period.  Again 
was  achieved  the  required  effect  of  length  at  the 
back  and  under  the  arms,  with  the  soft  draping  over 
the  bosom. 


i88 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


The  fourth  dress  was  an  elaborate  evening  dress 
of  cloth-of-silver,  and  silver  and  pearl  passementerie, 
with  an  exquisitely  soft  silk  tissue  in  the  most  deli- 
cate pearl-gray  tint.  The  body  of  the  dress  and 
train,  fitted  after  the  princesse  style  in  long  lines, 
was  of  the  cloth-of-silver,  in  one  length  from  the 
neck.  The  passementerie,  in  elaborate  pattern, 
pointed  toward  the  centre  of  the  waist,  extended 
from  over  the  shoulders  to  the  bottom  of  the  dress 
back  and  front.  The  silk  tissue,  laid  in  clusters  of  the 
tiniest  imaginable  pleats,  pressed  and  then  falling 
loosely,  rippled  like  a  silvery  sheen  over  the  bosom, 
and  formed  a  shimmering  petticoat  under  the  long, 
straight,  princesse  sides.  In  every  dress  the  same 
essential  principles  which,  experience  had  taught,  en- 
hanced her  good  points  and  softened  her  defects  of 
figure,  were  faithfully  observed.  Clothed  after  this 
manner,  she  was  exquisite — a  picture,  indeed.  In 
the  hands  of  a  dressmaker  who  would  have  in- 
sisted upon  the  latest  style,  this  woman  must  have 
been  commonplace,  if  not  vulgar;  her  figure  could 
not  have  borne  the  high  effect  of  the  bosom  crowd- 
ed well  up  under  the  chin  and  covered  by  a  plain, 
close  corsage;  neither  could  she  have  worn  a  basque 
effect  without  being  too  "  dumpy."  It  was  her  own 
artistic  good  sense  which  saved  her  from  looking 
gross,  and  gave  her  a  well-deserved  reputation  for 
beautiful  dressing. 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


189 


I  have  cited  this  case  at  length,  because  I  am  so 
fully  convinced  of  the  artistic  pos^bilities  of  dress 
that  I  long  for  the  time  when  the  study  of  form,  fig- 
ure and  other  relations  will  appeal  to  the  cultured 
mind  as  no  less  worthy  than  the  study  of  literature 
and  the  fine  arts.  The  human  form  is  the  most  in- 
tricate and  wonderful  of  divine  creations.  Every 
possibility  of  achievement,  of  mental,  moral  and 
spiritual  infinity,  every  impulse  of  a  beautiful  soul, 
every  excellence  of  character,  every  function  of  life, 
exists  within  this  wonderful  temple  of  clay;  and  that 
there  may  be  no  inharmony  anywhere,  due  relation- 
ship between  internals  and  externals  must  be  devel- 
oped. It  is  but  reasonable  to  believe  that  the  higher 
the  civilization  the  more  profound  will  be  the  atten- 
tion bestowed  upon  this  noble  human  casket.  Who 
would  dare  to  say  that  clothing  it  fitly  and  exqui- 
sitely will  not  come  to  be  regarded  as  a  high  moral 
duty  in  the  future — a  failure  to  do  so,  as  a  crime 
against  the  laws  of  the  Most  High  ? 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

PRACTICAL  SUGGES- 
TIONS FOR  DRESS. 


HERE  are  some 
commonplace  sug- 
gestions for  dress,  which 
may  or  may  not  be  new  to 
my  readers,  but  in  any 
case  they  seem  to  me  to 
be  of  sufficient  practical 
value  to  be  worthy  of 
mention  in  a  work  like 
this.  In  a  general  way,  all 
women  know  that  there  is  a 
law  of  eternal  fitness  in  dress, 
but  few  have  the  taste  and 
fine  discrimination  to  apply 
the  law  for  themselves.  Very 
few  women  select  materials 
with  judgment  for  all  occasions,  and  still  fewer  have 
appreciation  of  coloring  and  style  in  design.  I  have 
seen  stout  women  in  plaids  and  figured  brocades, 
and  this  very  day  met  an  exceedingly  tall  and  slen- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


191 


der  woman  in  stripes  of  a  color  so  pronounced  as 
to  forcibly  accentuate  the  self-evident  incongruity 
between  the  wearer  and  the  pattern  worn. 

No  woman  should  wear  materials,  colors,  designs, 
or  styles  which  will  tend  to  exaggerate  any  marked 
characteristic  or  peculiarity.  When  an  excellence 
of  form,  feature,  or  figure  is  sufficiently  apparent  to 
call  attention  to  itself  without  other  assistance,  the 
effort  in  clothing  should  be  to  preserve  the  purity  of 
the  natural  gift.  Upon  the  other  hand,  great  pains 
should  be  taken  to  soften,  tone  down,  and  generally 
disguise  the  irregular  in  form  and  contour  by  artistic 
study  and  selection. 

Taken  two  women  of  equal  but  different  attrac- 
tions, for  example,  the  one  will  be  beautiful  in  col- 
ors and  patterns  which  would  make  the  other  a  pos- 
itive fright.  A  short  woman  cannot  wear  heavy, 
bulky  materials,  nor  very  bright  colors,,  conspicuous 
figures,  plaids,  brocades,  broad  stripes,  and  fuzzy- 
designs,  or  large  embroideries.  They  are  fatal  to 
grace  and  beauty.  Neither  can  she  wear  much 
drapery,  fancy  puffed  sleeves,  or  short  capes,  wraps, 
and  dolmans  without  sleeves.  The  short  woman, 
especially  if  plump,  looks  still  shorter  and  decidedly 

dumpy"  in  any  of  these  things.  To  bring  out  her 
best  points,  whether  she  be  light  or  dark  in  com- 
plexion, neutral  tints  are  necessary.  She  cannot 
wear  two  different  plain  colors  in  different  materials 


192 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


combined,  although  she  may  use  a  plain  color  for 
the  body  of  her  dress,  and  another  material  in  some 
small  pattern  in  the  same  color,  but  varying  shades, 
for  a  lengthwise  style  of  combination.  The  under- 
sized woman  proclaims  the  fact  that  her  legs  are 
short,  and  deprives  herself  of  an  important  appear- 
ance of  height  by  lacing  her  waist  down  until  it  ex- 
aggerates an  angle  at  the  hips.  Be  she  ever  so  short, 
a  seeming  inch  or  two  can  be  added  to  her  height 
by  a  style  of  dress  which  suggests,  without  defining, 
a  pronounced  waist-line.  Gowns  flowing  in  unbroken 
grace  from  under  the  bosom  are  the  only  ones  to 
give  her  an  appearance  of  height  and  slenderness, 
and  she  should  always  wear  soft  materials  with  as 
much  sheen  as  possible  in  their  folds.  Cashmeres, 
Henriettas,  nun's  veiling,  India  silks,  laces,  crepes, 
the  softest  of  surahs,  India  muslins;  and  for  her 
winter  gowns,  camel's-hairs  and  clinging  serges, 
but  never  tailor  cloths,  velvets,  and  plushes.  For 
patterns  in  material  she  may  employ  pinhead  checks, 
hair  stripes,  and  other  narrow  stripes  where  one  is 
plain  and  the  other  in  a  lengthwise  running  design, 
small  polka  dots,  tiny  flower  sprays,  splashed  effects 
on  contrasting  colored  grounds,  and  other  incon- 
spicuous suggestions,  but  she  will  always  get  her 
best  effects  with  plain,  clinging,  neutral-tinted  goods. 
Luxurious  and  opulent  effects  do  not  belong  to  her; 
but  refined  elegance  and  daintiness  do.    Her  trim- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


mings  may  be  the  most  exquisite  of  laces,  slender 
scroll  designs  in  narrow  embroideries,  and  silk  pas- 
sementeries, Greek  borders,  long  cords  and  tassels, 
flat  narrow  bands  of  braid,  velvets,  and  ribbons  put 
onto  her  gowns  lengthwise  (never  around  the  waist 
or  skirt),  and  long,  knotted  silk  fringes. 

Upon  the  other  hand,  the  tall,  slender  woman 
may,  if  she  wishes,  affect  great  splendor  in  dress. 
She  may  wear  for  occasions  with  perfect  propriety 
and  good  effect  the  richest  of  velvets,  stately  bro- 
cades, heavy  silks,  gorgeous  embroideries,  and  glit- 
tering passementeries.  Large  designs,  if  not  florid, 
will  soften  down  her  height,  and  disguise  excessive 
slenderness.  She  may  wear  plaids,  checked  and  fig- 
ured goods  which  are  not  bizarre,  and  all  refined 
colors  in  the  brighter  tints  denied  her  shorter  sister. 
She  can  wear  capes,  flowing,  sleeveless  wraps,  man- 
tles, and  draperies  to  advantage,  which  would  be 
simply  atrocious,  from  the  artistic  standpoint,  upon 
the  short  woman,  and  her  length  of  arm  is  peculiarly 
adapted  to  puffed  and  fancy  styles  in  sleeves.  Re- 
garding the  length  of  her  waist,  she  may  make  it 
whatever  she  pleases — under  the  bosom  a  VEmpirey 
or  low  down,  confining  clusters  of  folds  with  jeweled 
girdles  over  the  abdomen  a  la  Bernhardt,  but  a 
closely  corseted  effect  of  figure,  which  will  suggest 
bony  hips  and  lankness,  will  detract  immeasurably 
from  her  artistic  grace. 


194 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


The  medium-sized  woman,  tall  enough  for  grace, 
and  plump  enough  for  rounded  contour,  has  the 
natural  advantage  over  all  others  for  anything  and 
everything  which  she  may  wish  to  wear.  This  wom- 
an can  affect  novelties,  and  suffer  herself  to  follow 
fashions  with  a  degree  of  freedom  which  neither  of 
the  other  women  could  possibly  indulge;  neverthe- 
less, there  are  certain  laws  of  good  taste  in  designs, 
fabrics,  and  colors,  which  she,  too,  must  observe,  to 
be  thought  every  inch  the  lady.  Bright  colors  and 
showy  patterns  are  not  suitable  for  walking  upon 
the  street,  neither  are  velvets,  brocades,  plushes, 
and  rich  silks,  satins,  beaded  passementeries,  and 
fine  laces,  no  matter  what  the  style  of  the  woman, 
the  length  of  her  purse,  or  even  her  station  in  life. 
One  who  promenades  in  such  finery  subjects  herself 
to  the  suspicion  that  she  has  no  other  and  more  ap- 
propriate place  for  the  display  of  her  riches,  and 
must  expect  to  be  regarded  as  a  parvenu,  not  as  one 
born  to  the  ''purple  and  fine  linen."  Ladies  every- 
where avoid  conspicuous  extremes.  Jewelry,  es- 
pecially gems,  is  no  longer  worn  upon  the  public 
streets  except  by  the  inordinately  vulgar.  Rustling 
skirts,  jingling  fringes,  bangles,  and  chatelaines  are 
very  bad  form,  as  they  render  it  impossible  for  one  to 
pass  quietly  along  unnoticed.  The  woman  who  af- 
fects such  things  must  not  be  surprised  at  the  rude 
and  questioning  stare  which  her  own  vanity  invites. 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


In  the  matter  of  headwear  for  the  street,  within 
the  bounds  of  good  taste,  much  more  latitude  is  al- 
lowed, especially  in  spring  and  summer,  than  with 
costumes.  It  is  quite  appropriate  for  a  young  and 
pretty  woman  to  wear  showy  flowers  upon  her  street 
hats.  Nature  herself  offers  at  this  season  the  wealth 
of  her  own  coloring  to  make  the  days  attractive,  and 
there  is  nothing  offensive  or  incongruous  in  the 
bright  flower  hat  or  bonnet  for  those  youthful  enough 
to  save  the  suggestion  of  the  "  sere  and  yellow  leaf." 
Even  elderly  ladies  may  wear  rich-tinted  autumn 
leaves,  and  quiet  flowers  like  violets,  dull-toned 
asters,  deep  red  and  brown  berries  nestled  among 
dark  green  leaves,  mignonette,  and  heliotrope,  and 
other  fine  and  delicate  flowers.  With  winter  bon- 
nets more  care  and  discrimination  in  color-effects  is 
necessary  for  all.  Rich,  warm-toned  velvet  "flowers 
are  appropriate;  so,  also,  are  ostrich  feathers  and 
pompons,  bright  velvets  and  ribbons.  Women  of 
sensibility  are  fast  giving  up  the  cruel  and  offensive 
fashion  of  bedecking  themselves  with  the  bodies  and 
breasts  of  the  feathered  creatures  of  the  air.  Only 
such  plumage  as  can  be  procured  without  cruelty  or 
sacrifice  of  life  is  in  good  taste  upon  woman's  head- 
dress. 

Regarding  the  shapes  of  hats  and  bonnets,  each 
one  must  be  more  or  less  of  a  law  unto  herself. 
Large  hats  are,  however,  preeminently  out  of  place 


196 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


Upon  women  past  youth ;  upon  anyone  at  the  theatre, 
church,  concerts,  or  in  any  audience  hall;  and  a 
large,  broad-faced  woman  is  conspicuously  coarse- 
looking  in  a  very  flaring,  showy  hat.  No  more  artis- 
tic style  of  bonnet  will  ever  be  devised  for  ladies 
past  middle  life  than  that  which  fits  about  the  face 
with  very  little  flare  to  the  brim.  Out  of  this  style 
of  bonnet  a  sweet-visaged  old  lady  looks  forth 
as  attractive  as  a  lily-of-the-valley  peeping  out 
of  its  green  sheath.  Very  small,  jaunty  hats 
and  bonnets  are  becoming  to  all  women  of  small 
and  medium  features  who  have  a  good  deal  of  soft 
fluffy  hair,  but  rarely  to  others.  Shapes  and  styles 
of  front  trimming  which  produce  an  abnormal  length 
of  face  and  bonnet  detract  from  the  personal  appear- 
ance greatly.  A  style  of  hat  suited  to  almost  any 
age  up  to  forty-five,  and  to  most  faces,  is  one  which 
I  have  often  suspected  the  milliners  of  deliberately 
forcing  out  of  fashion  every  time  it  appears,  in  the 
commercial  interest  of  continued  change — a  low 
crown,  drooping  brim,  back  and  front,  with  gently 
upward-rolling  sides.  This  style  of  hat,  trimmed 
with  long  ostrich  plumes,  is  most  aesthetically  pleas- 
ing, besides  which,  it  serves  the  real  purpose  of  a  hat, 
by  furnishing  protection  for  the  eyes. 

No  hat  or  bonnet  should  be  worn  heavy  enough 
for  the  wearer  to  be  conscious  of  it,  as  the  weight  is 
very  injurious  to  the  brain  and  spine.  Fur  hats  con- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY.  1 97 

fine  the  perspiration  and  shut  out  ventilation,  and 
are  simply  unclean ;  they  should  be  forever  eschewed 
by  all  who  value  good  hair,  both  men  and  women. 

Apart  from  general  laws  of  dress  there  are  special 
applications  for  special  occasions,  and  one  who 
aspires  to  the  reputation  of  being  ''well-dressed" 
cannot  afford  to  neglect  these  fine  distinctions. 

For  church  wear  and  shopping  the  costume  should 
always  be  of  wool,  very  plain  and  inconspicuous, 
more  so  than  for  any  other  occasions.  For  the  after- 
noon promenade  it  may  be  more  costly  wool,  and 
more  dressy  in  style;  for  the  afternoon  drive,  richer 
and  more  elegant  yet.  For  house  wear,  morning 
dress  should  be  of  attractive  but  inexpensive  mate- 
rials, fashioned  into  neat  and  simple  styles.  For 
afternoon  house  wear,  the  very  appropriate  tea- 
gown  may  be  as  rich  as  one's  surroundings  warrant. 
Great  latitude  is  allowed  for  effects  in  this  robe,  and 
it  is  entirely  appropriate  for  receiving  one's  intimates 
in  one's  own  sitting-room,  or  for  the  more  ceremoni- 
ous afternoon  tea,  to  which  the  casual  acquaintance 
among  the  dear  four  hundred  are  bidden,  in  the 
drawing-room. 

For  dinner,  if  at  evening,  which  should  be  the 
principal  meal  of  the  day,  the  most  cheerful  and 
attractive  of  gowns  should  be  worn.  It  does  not 
follow  that  the  gown  must  be  expensive  ^because  it 
is  designed  for  a  dinner-dress,  but  it  should  be  light 


igS  PHYSICAL  BEAUTY, 

in  color,  attractive,  and  appropriately  made,  to  give 
a  really  ceremonious  and  dressy  effect. 

The  physiological  and  refining  advantages  of  this 
style  of  dress  at  dinner  cannot  be  overestimated.  I 
saw,  last  year,  a  dinner-dress  which  the  wearer  as- 
sured me  cost  only  twenty-five  dollars  for  materials 
and  making.  It  was  of  heliotrope  nun's  veiling,  ex- 
quisitely draped,  with  the  neck  cut  into  a  V-shape 
back  and  front,  to  show  the  delicate  white  throat  and 
neck  of  the  wearer.  The  sleeves,  which  were  most 
dressy,  ended  at  the  elbow;  and  around  the  neck 
and  bottom  of  the  sleeves  heliotrope  ostrich-feather 
bands  were  used.  A  soft  girdle  of  wax  beads,  in  a 
harmonizing  color,  confined  the  gathered  folds  of 
the  waist.  Good  taste  had  been  used  in  the  selection 
of  materials,  artistic  care  in  making,  and  a  beautiful 
dinner-dress  at  a  reasonable  cost  was  the  result; 
while  the  dinner-table  was  brightened  and  enlivened, 
and  the  flavor  of  the  foods  improved  immeasurably 
by  this  festive  touch  of  color. 

Very  few  persons,  except  the  wealthy,  who  sit  in 
the  boxes,  pay  any  attention  to  appropriate  dress 
for  the  theatre,  opera,  concerts,  and  lectures  in  this 
country.  Any  street  suit  and  wrap,  and  any  kind 
of  a  hat  or  bonnet  answers.  Abroad  it  is  different. 
No  one  goes  to  the  theatre  in  London  in  a  bonnet, 
and  evenifig  dress  is  very  generally  worn.  It  is 
true  that  we  could  not,  because  of  our  long  distances 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY.  Igg 

and  expensive  cab  rates,  establish  a  universal  system 
of  full  dress;  but  every  woman  who  goes  out  at  all 
could,  at  a  small  cost,  have  in  her  wardrobe  an  in- 
expensive dress,  especially  intended  for  evening 
occasions.  Something  light  and  delicate  in  texture, 
and  bright  and  attractive  to  the  eye,  made  with  a 
view  to  gas-light  and  an  hour  of  leisure.  Then, 
again,  no  generous-minded  woman  need  sit  for  an 
evening  in  a  bonnet  or  hat,  and  destroy  her  neigh- 
bor's pleasure.  If  she  cannot  afford  a  pretty  flower 
wreath  to  take  the  place  of  a  hat,  she  can,  at  least, 
remove  her  head-covering  altogether,  and  not  to  do 
so  is  selfish  and  thoughtless  in  the  extreme. 

The  custom  of  going  into  close  theatres  and  halls 
in  an  ordinary  street  dress  and  wrap,  and  sitting  for 
an  evening,  has  been  responsible  for  many  a  serious 
illness  and  death.  Exposure  to  the  night  air  after- 
ward is  inevitable.  This  danger  might  be  avoided, 
and  the  charming  effect  of  color  and  appropriateness 
gained,  by  wearing  a  dress  suitable  to  a  close,  hot 
room,  and  a  long,  warm  wrap,  which  could  be  laid 
aside  for  the  evening.  Every  woman  needs,  among 
her  other  garments,  one  which  will  serve  the  purpose 
of  a  protection,  a  regular  wrap — ^just  what  the  name 
suggests.  For  those  who  have  plenty  of  means  to 
indulge  beautiful  effects,  and  change  as  often  as 
fashion  changes,  no  suggestions  need  be  made,  be- 
cause the  shops  are  always  full  of  these  beautiful 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


20  I 


garments;  but  for  the  woman  who  will  have  to  make 
a  single  purchase  serve  a  number  of  years'  service,  I 
advise  a  dark  brown,  green  or  black  brocaded 
woolen  material  lined  with  red  or  old-gold  or  gold- 
brown  farmer's  satin  of  a  thoroughly  good  quality, 
and  interlined  with  a  warm  wool  wadding.  This 
garment  should  be  of  the  half-fitting  cloak  style, 
loose,  and  long  enough  to  cover  the  entire  dress.  It 
should  be  made  double-breasted,  with  sleeves  large 
enough  to  go  on  over  any  kind  of  under  sleeve  with- 
out crushing.  To  save  exposure  of  the  wrists  the 
sleeves  should  be  closed  with  a  kind  of  cape-cuff 
coming  over  the  hand.  To  wear  with  this  garment 
one  should  have  a  bonnet-hood  fitting  over  the  en- 
tire head,  with  a  cape  to  match  the  cuffs  to  the 
sleeves.  In  such  an  outfit  exposure  would  be  im- 
possible, and  the  walk  home,  after  the  evening  in  a 
confined  audience  room,  would  be  a  help  to  sound 
sleep  rather  than  a  menace  to  health. 

For  the  evening  dress  itself,  there  are  so  many 
pretty  inexpensive  goods  of  pleasing  and  appropriate 
color,  that  one  may  have  two  or  three  gowns  suit- 
able for  festive  occasions  in  their  wardrobe,  at  a 
comparatively  small  cost.  Good  wools  are  so  much 
prettier  than  cheap  silks,  unless  it  be  India  silk,  that 
my  advice  to  the  woman  with  little  money  to  spend 
is,  Keep  to  wools."  I  saw  an  exquisite  dress  of  gold- 
colored  albatross  trimmed  with  a  rich  ruby  and  gold 


202 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


silk  lace.  The  effect  was  fairly  sumptuous  on  the 
glowing  brunette  beauty  who  wore  it.  The  albatross 
cost  fifty  cents  a  yard;  the  lace  was  a  "  find  "  on  the 
bargain  counter  of  a  store  noted  for  its  novelties. 
Such  a  dress  was  just  the  touch  of  brightness  needed 
to  perfect  the  evening  hour's  recreation.  A  church 
sociable,"  or  any  other  mild-flavored  country  enter- 
tainment, such  as  forms  the  entire  social  dissipation 
of  many  quiet  lives,  would  be  rendered  much  more 
enjoyable  and  profitable  as  a  complete  relaxation,  by 
attention  to  suitable  dress  for  the  occasion.  The 
inevitable  best  black  silk,  which  two-thirds  of  the 
women  wear  upon  such  occasions,  makes  the  hour 
more  like  a  funeral  than  a  gathering  for  innocent  and 
much-needed  gaiety. 

Let  us  get  the  touch  of  brightness  into  life  by  any 
means  possible,  and  under  the  glow  of  the  evening 
lamp  gay  colors  add  immeasurably  to  the  desired 
object. 

The  custom  of  constantly  wearing  black  is  a  mis- 
taken one,  from  every  point  of  view.  Upon  good 
authority  cases  of  melancholia,  directly  traceable  to 
the  wearing  of  heavy  crepe  for  mourning,  are  re- 
ported; and  for  summer  wear  black  fabrics  of  any 
kind  are  objectionable,  because  black  absorbs  more 
heat.  Among  other  unchristian  customs  which  will 
be  done  away  with  in  the  future,  that  of  wearing 
dense  mourning   robes  will  surely  be  numbered. 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


203 


Why  should  one  whose  professed  faith  promises  im- 
mortal glories  and  reunions,  under  conditions  where 
sin,  sickness,  and  death  are  unknown,  deliberately 
don  the  trappings  of  woe  for  public  display  when  a 
beloved  friend  goes  before  ?  The  custom  is  simply 
shocking  when  discussed  from  the  standpoint  of 
fashion,  and  how  long  one  degree  and  another  of 
mourning  should  be  worn.  There  is  a  certain  honest 
grief  of  separation  which  bows  the  head  and  subdues 
the  weak  human  heart;  but  the  sorrow  should  be 
too  sacred  for  outward  display  and  sign-board  ad- 
vertisements. I  know  the  argument  that  mourning 
is  a  protection;  but  I  do  not  think  that  it  always,  or, 
indeed,  often  proves  so;  and  I  am  certain  that  it  has 
a  depressing  effect  at  a  time  when  one  needs  to  rally 
all  of  one's  Christian  fortitude  and  human  philosophy 
to  meet  life  with  becoming  resignation  and  that 
beautiful  and  unselfish  cheerfulness  which  refuses  to 
shadow  others'  lives  with  the  gloom  which  has  dark- 
ened one's  own. 

Regarding  the  general  selection  of  colors,  be- 
comingness  and  occasions  should  be  consulted.  For 
street  wear,  quiet,  neutral  tints  are  better  for  all;  for 
house  wear,  what  is  brighter  and  more  cheerful. 
Many  women  Constantly  offend  the  eye  with  what 
brings  out  their  worst  defects  of  complexion  and 
coloring.  So  crude  is  the  general  standard  of  taste 
that  one  finds  it  difficult  to  make  most  persons  un- 


204 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


derstand  that  violent  contrasts  are  very  generally 
disastrous  to  refined  effects.  Yet  every  artist  knows 
that  the  burnished-copper  tints  of  Titian's  beauties 
are  wonderfully  enhanced  by  gowns  of  the  same 
color,  shading  down  to  the  deepest  tones  through 
all  of  the  wonderful  and  beautiful  gradations  possi- 
ble. The  most  delicate  blondes  are  lovely  in  pale 
pinks,  pale  sea  -  greens,  pale  yellows  and  reds. 
Brunettes  need  dark  blues  and  greens,  browns  and 
old-golds;  and  an  occasional  brunette  with  brown 
eyes  and  hair  and  complexion  can  wear  reds;  but 
black  eyes  and  hair  and  red  cheeks  are  made  posi- 
tively glaring  and  vulgar  by  this  particular  color 
which  has  so  long  been  considered  as  the  exclusive 
property  of  the  brunette.  Delicate  tints  for  the 
blonde,  rich  and  sumptuous  oriental  effects  for  the 
brunette — effects  in  which  a  half-dozen  colors  and 
tones  are  blending  to  produce  a  subdued  gorgeous- 
ness  of  coloring  which  will  harmonize  with  the 
warmth  in  the  hair  and  eyes  and  complexion  of  a 
really  beautiful  brunette. 

A  lady  pays  attention  to  her  boots  and  gloves. 
If  she  cannot  spend  much  money  for  these  neces- 
saries, at  least  she  can  keep  buttons  sewed  on,  all 
rips  mended,  and  her  boots  fresh  and  black  by  a 
frequent  application  of  dressing.  A  woman  having 
genuine  refinement  of  feeling  will  go  without  any 
trinket  or  gewgaw  to  save  the  money  necessary  to 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


205 


be  well  gloved  and  booted.    Ripped  gloves,  minus 
buttons,  boots  over  at  the  heel  and  buttonless,  say 
sloven  "  more  plainly  than  words  could  to  the  ob- 
server. 

Regarding  dressing  well  upon  a  small  income,  I 
know  it  to  be  possible,  if  good  taste  and  judgment 
are  used  in  one's  expenditures,  and  the  proper  care 
is  taken  of  one's  clothing.  The  woman  of  small 
income  should  never  indulge  in  novelties.  These 
things  cost  a  great  deal  of  money,  soon  go  out  of 
fashion,  and  are  vulgarly  conspicuous  for  all  except 
special  occasions;  neither  can  she  afford  to  buy 
cheap  materials.  The  only  woman  who  can  reason- 
ably pay  for  the  making  of  cheap  goods  is  the  wom- 
an who  can  throw  her  money  away  if  it  pleases  her 
so  to  do.  One  who  has  little  to  spend  should  con- 
sider every  item  in  buying  a  dress,  and  throughout 
buy  what  is  uniformly  good,  from  the  linings  to  the 
trimmings.  Cheap  linings  soon  stretch  out  of  shape, 
and  the  dress  looks  shabby  and  old  before  its  time: 
cheap  trimmings  soon  grow  threadbare.  The  wom- 
an of  little  means  should  never  go  into  a  store  and 
hastily  buy  what  catches  her  eye;  for  the  indulgence 
will  very  likely  prove  a  luxury  which  she  could  not 
afford  when  she  reaches  home  and  begins  to  think 
about  her  needs.  Her  purchase  is  pretty;  she  will 
be  able  to  wear  it  sometimes  appropriately;  but  it 
does  not  fit  into  the  vacant  place  yawning  in  her 


2o6 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


wardrobe.  She  has,  however,  spent  her  money  for 
it,  and  will  be  compelled  to  wear  it  upon  many  oc- 
casions for  which  it  is  conspicuously  not  the  right 
thing.  It  is  the  same  way  with  the  little  "  fixings  " 
which  cost  so  much — ruchings,  ribbons,  fichus, 
trinkets.  For  the  woman  of  small  means  they  are  a 
mistake.  Five  dollars  expended  for  good  service- 
able lace  will  save  twenty-five,  if  not  even  more, 
which  one  would  spend  during  the  time  that  the 
lace  will  wear  and  look  both  refined  and  attractive. 

A  good,  genuine  Valenciennes,  about  an  inch  wide, 
will  cost  fifty  to  seventy-five  cents  a  yard.  Two 
yards  and  a  half  to  three  yards  will  be  sufficient  to 
plait  into  an  exquisite  ruching  for  the  ordinary  neck 
and  sleeves.  When  soiled  it  can  be  ripped  out,  wash- 
ed by  the  lady  herself,  and  put  back  again.  Worn  in 
this  way,  it  will  last  years,  growing  mellow  and  refin- 
ed with  wear.  Broader  lace  of  good  quality,  used  in 
dressy  costumes,  will  save  money  in  the  same  pro- 
portion, and  always  look  well.  A  single  genuine 
ornament  is  worth  a  dozen  spurious  articles,  yet  these 
catchpenny  trinkets  absorb  the  good  dollars  rapidly. 

Did  space  permit  I  might  enlarge  indefinitely  upon 
this  question  of  small  economies  as  the  result  of 
good  judgment  and  good  taste;  but,  once  set  think- 
ing, the  logic  of  facts  must  appeal  to  sensible  wom- 
en. Upon  general  principles  it  is  safe  to  say  that 
ladies  do  not  indulge  in  conspicuous  extremes  in 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


207 


dress.  More  latitude  is  permitted  by  fashion  for  the 
exercise  of  individual  good  taste  than  ever  before, 
and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  women  of  sense  will  hold 
fast  to  certain  preeminently  decent  improvements  in 
costuming  which  mark  an  advance  in  aesthetic  re- 
finement. I  am  hopeful  that  this  will  be  so,  for  all 
of  the  efforts  of  the  fashion-maker  to  revive  the  train- 
ed skirt  for  the  street,  to  do  the  scavenger  duty 
which  belongs  to  the  Street  Cleaning  Department, 
has  failed  signally,  except  with  the  few,  and  the 
bootmakers  who  devote  themselves  to  sensible 
boots,  with  broad  soles  and  low  heels  for  walking, 
go  on  enlarging  their  factories  and  salesrooms  to 
meet  the  growing  demand  for  foot-covering  adapted 
to  human  needs. 

I  do  not  despair  of  the  time  when  dress  will  be- 
come a  fine  art — when  gownmakers  will  study  in- 
dividual patrons  with  a  view  to  individual  needs, 
and,  instead  of  offering  the  latest  fashions  as  "just 
the  thing,"  will  adapt  style,  color,  drapery,  matepal, 
and  finish  to  each  one. 

In  this  improved  era  of  dressmaking  what  rejoic- 
ing there  will  be  among  the  fat  women  and  the  lean', 
the  tall  women  and  the  short,  and  especially  among 
those  "lookers-on  in  Venice,"  who  have  the  fine 
taste  to  appreciate  congruity  and  harmony. 

It  is  an  artistic  fact  that  the  stout  woman  is  made 
to  appear  much  stouter  by  lacing  her  waist  until  her 


208^ 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


bosom  forms  a  shelf  under  her  chin,  and  her  hips 
and  abdomen  bulge  out  unpleasantly,  not  to  say 
vulgarly;  but  fashion's  autocrat  will  inform  this  poor- 
unfortunate  that  the  close  corsage  is  the  only  thing 
for  her,  and  with  as  much  authority  of  artistic  good 
sense  as  would  be  displayed  in  saying  arms  are  worn 
behind  or  before  instead  of  at  the  sides,  she  is  in- 
formed that  bosoms  are  worn  high,  and  assured  that 
a  certain  make  of  corset  will  keep  them  there,  just  as 
they  ought  to  be  for  style.  What  a  revelation  a 
really  stout  woman  in  a  dress  designed  and  executed 
by  an  artist  would  be  to  such  poor,  deluded  victims 
of  "style"!  I  have  seen  a  woman  weighing  over 
two  hundred,  and  looking  the  picture  of  serene  dig- 
nity and  comfort  in  an  artistic  creation.  Her  bosom 
was  worn  where  nature  meant  that  it  should  be. 
She  employed  a  boned  waist  for  needed  support, 
which  did  not  throw  any  organ  out  of  its  proper 
place.  There  was  a  fine  relation  of  the  different 
parts  of  her  structure  to  each  other,  which  called  no 
unpleasant  attention  to  the  fact  that  she  was  a  stout 
woman;  and  her  movements  were  free  and  natural. 
'Her  dress  was  fitted  smoothly  under  the  arm,  with 
great  care  to  keep  the  line  from  the  arm  to  the  ankle 
an  undulating  curve,  without  a  suggestion  of  the 
sharp  angle  and  bulging  hips  of  an  unnaturally  com- 
pressed waist-line.  Her  bosom,  which  was  where  it 
belonged,  did  not  (as  with  the  laced  woman)  seem 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY.  2O9 

to  huddle  the  chin  and  neck  together  without  leav- 
ing any  line  of  throat,  and  a  soft  drapery  helped  to 
conceal  the  unusual  size  of  the  bust,  toning  down 
and  softening  instead  of  exaggerating  nature.  In 
every  part,  the  artist's  skill  had  been  directed  toward 
the  recognition  and  softening  of  physical  defects  by 
natural  means,  instead  of  hopelessly  trying  to  lace 
flesh  out  of  existence  by  crowding  it  up  here,  and 
out  there,  and  into  unpleasant  prominence  every- 
where. 

Overcoming  physical  defects  by  physical  develop- 
ment and  artistic  clothing,  with  a  view  to  freedom, 
grace,  health,  and  pleasing  effect  is  worthy  the  ef- 
forts of  the  most  talented  men  and  women,  and  it  is 
reason  for  congratulation  that  the  few  are  again 
exalting  the  human  form  to  the  high  place  which  it 
occupied  in  the  minds  of  the  Greeks,  centuries  ago. 
Out  of  refined  bodily  training  and  correct  clothing, 
living  men  and  women  will  rise  in  the  purity  of  ani- 
mated art,  superior  to  the  most  exquisitely  chiseled 
forms  of  the  sculptor,  or  the  glorious  figures  of  the 
master  upon  the  glowing  canvas,  which  have  hitherto 
been  considered  ideals  out  of  reach  of  ordinary  hu-- 
man  nature. 


14 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE  CULTIVATION  OF  INDIVIDUALITY. 


NE  may  possess  the  very  perfec- 
tion of  physical  beauty  with- 
out having  the  charm  of 
individuality.  Compara- 
tive ethnology,  psychol- 
ogy, and  biology  show 
that   specialization  is  a 
product  of  higher  evolu- 
tion ;    that   all  individual 
traits  are  developed  corre- 
spondingly   as    we  proceed 
higher  in  the  general  physical 
and  intellectual  scale;  and  al- 
though nature  and   animal  life 
show  that   no   two  objects  or 
creatures  are    exactly  alike  in 
every  respect,  the  differences  are 
infinitesimal,  and    it  takes  the 
sharp-sighted,  patient  specialist 
to  cTassify  differences  which  are 
so  similar  as  to  be  almost  iden- 
tical. Even  among  the  lower  races  and  tribes  there 
are  but  few  distinguishing  characteristics  by  which 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


211 


the  different  members  assume  separate  and  special 
importance  to  the  casual  observer,  and  we  are,  there- 
fore, led  to  the  conclusion  that  refined  individuality 
is  a  recent  and  still  unfolding  flower  of  our  higher 
civilization. 

Notwithstanding  the  distinct  and  enduring  per- 
sonality of  the  great  men  and  occasional  great 
women  who  have  adorned  the  ages,  we  are  compelled 
to  admit  that  the  ancient  nations,  not  excepting 
Greece  with  her  strongly  marked  physical  superiority, 
were  indifferent  to  personal  individualization,  and 
the  exquisite  sculpture  of  the  ancients  is  merely  a 
collection  of  perfect  models  of  the  physical  type,  en- 
tirely devoid  of  sentiment  and  subtle  expression. 
The  accepted  superiority  of  their  art  lies  in  the 
regard  shown  for  refined  physical  proportion  and 
symmetry,  and  not  in  the  portrayal  of  any  typical, 
highly  complex,  and  idealized  emotions,  such  as 
must  have  given  soul  and  individual  expression  even 
to  faces  of  marble. 

To  future  ages  has  been  left  the  glory  of  an  endur- 
ing art,  which  will  embody  the  physical  perfectness 
of  all  that  has  gone  before,  combined  with  the  ideal- 
ized soul  principle.  It  is  bdl;ause  experience  must 
precede  expression  that  the  ancients  failed  in  giving 
any  variety  of  emotional  expression.  They  could 
not  portray  that  of  which  they  had  no  knowledge, 
and  their  experiences,  emotionally,  were  exceedingly 


212 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


limited,  because,  no  doubt,  of  the  inferior  position  to 
which  their  women  were  condemned.  The  mental 
superiority  which  made  a  few  the  recognized  peers 
of  men  was,  unfortunately,  linked  with  suggestions 
of  shame,  and  a  woman's  enduring  individuality  cost 
her  the  reputation  for  morality.  But  what  progress 
has  been  made  in  all  thq  complex  spiritual  senti- 
ments which  elevate  both  men  and  women  since 
those  days  when  even  the  highest  form  of  love  was 
symbolized  by  the  mythic  youth  Narcissus,  who 
scorned  the  beautiful  nymphs  to  fall  in  love  with  his 
own  image  reflected  in  the  water,  because  of  the 
prevailing  idea,  probably,  of  the  superiority  of  mas- 
culine beauty,  as  well  as  of  masculine  intellect ! 

Again,  we  have  proof  that  the  Greeks  did  not  ap- 
preciate the  subtle  beauty  of  individuality,  nor  con- 
sciously enter  into  the  superior  charms  of  emotional 
expression,  else  it  is  by  no  means  probable  that  they 
would  have  been  absorbed  in  the  two  least  individual 
and  expressive  of  the  arts — sculpture  and  architect- 
ure. In  this  connection,  Sir  Charles  Bell  may  be 
quoted  as  saying  that  "  in  high  art  it  appears  to  have 
been  the  rule  of  the  sculptor  to  divest  the  form  of 
expression.  In  the  Venus  the  form  is  exquisite  and 
the  face  perfect;  but  there  is  no  expression  there;  it 
has  no  human  softness — nothing  to  love." 

We  might  carry  our  analogy  through  all  of  the 
highest  forms  of  past  civilization  down  to  the  pres- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


213 


ent  time,  to  find  that  the  charms  of  individuaUty 
have  been  the  exclusive  possession  of  the  few  ex- 
ceptions, rather  than  the  rule — a  matter  of  superior 
personal  endowment  rather  than  the  natural  out- 
growth of  surrounding  conditions.  It  has  been  left 
to  our  own  age  to  recognize  the  art  and  power  in 
individuality,  to  encourage  and  develop  variations 
in  expression,  to  harmonize  widely  divergent  char- 
acteristics through  modern  culture,  and  create  new 
and  individual  types  of  men  and  women,  having 
specialized  powers  in  harmony  with,  and  yet  in  con- 
trast to,  each  other. 

My  purpose  in  the  present  chapter  is  to  review 
briefly  the  different  degrees  of  individuality  possible 
under  the  present  conditions  of  civilized  life,  and 
suggest  the  general  means  by  which  each  one  may 
reasonably  hope  to  attain  to  that  subtle,  desirable 
something,  be  it  of  one  nature  or  another,  physical, 
intellectual  or  moral,  which  will  command  instant 
and  enduring  recognition,  and  serve  as  a  distinguish- 
ing characteristic.  Individuality  is,  indeed,  of  ex- 
treme importance  to  personal  success,  and  the  lack 
of  it  is  a  negative  evidence  of  a  species  of  inferiority 
in  the  present  day.  The  absorbing  wish  to  do  or  be 
exactly  what  somebody  has  been  is  a  lamentable 
evidence  of  unaesthetic  taste,  if  not  of  limited  mental 
perceptions,  and  is  but  a  degree  less  vulgar  than 
the  opposite  extreme,  which  leads  certain  men  and 


214 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


women  into  extravagant  and  even  grotesque  depart- 
ures from  accepted  custom  for  the  mere  sake  of 
eccentric  notoriety.  For  example,  the  woman  who 
always  follows  the  very  latest  fashion,  regardless  of 
fitness  or  adaptability  to  her  own  needs,  is  as  offen- 
sive to  good  taste  as  she  who  defies  the  laws  of  dress 
entirely,  persistently  appearing  in  public  places  in 
untidy  and  unsightly  habiliments. 

These  women  are  shallow  bores,  and  not,  as  they 
may  in  the  pride  of  conceit  suppose,  people  of  mark- 
ed and  individual  importance.  What  they  do  is  of 
no  consequence  to  anybody,  except  as  they  furnish 
serious  minds  with  the  material  for  a  laugh  at  their 
pretentious  self-assumption. 

Few  persons  are  able  to  distinguish  between  indi- 
viduality and  smartness;  between  refined  personality 
and  egregious  self-conceit;  the  one  as  bewildering 
and  brilliant  as  the  exquisite  scintillations  of  a  rare 
gem — the  other  like  the  vulgar  glitter  of  paste.  The 
one  a  thing  of  subtlety,  of  permanence  and  depth — 
the  other  crude,  shallow,  unreal,  like  froth.  The 
one  a  matter  of  rare  genius,  or  well-considered  cul- 
tivation— the  other  coarse,  pretentious,  offensive. 

Individuality  of  thought  and  mental  culture  is  un- 
doubtedly the  highest  type,  because  in  a  profound 
sense  creative  and  progressive.  But  even  in  this 
higher  realm  of  thought  we  must  discriminate  be- 
tween philosophy  and  novelty.  All  thought,  to  bear 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


the  test  of  logical  application  to  the  serious  affairs 
of  life,  must  be  fraught  with  some  vital  principle  cal- 
culated to  elevate  morally  and  spiritually,  or,  at 
least,  to  better  material  conditions. 

How  shall  one  cultivate  originality  of  thought  and 
independence  of  spirit,  and,  through  these,  refined 
individuality  ?  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  even  at  the 
risk  of  being  considered  heretical,  that  our  usual 
text-book  methods  are  not  the  correct  ones.  To 
learn  to  repeat,  parrot-like,  is  a  very  low  form  of 
intelligence,  dependent  upon  nothing  except  mem- 
ory; nor  is  there  anything  in  that  kind  of  mental 
discipline  to  cultivate  wit,  imagination,  clear  reason- 
ing, or  the  creative  powers  of  the  mind.  Reading  is 
valuable  only  so  far  as  it  is  suggestive,  and  if  one 
rises  from  the  perusal  of  an  author  with  nothing 
gained  except  a  knowledge  of  what  the  author  has 
said,  the  time  spent  has  been  well-nigh  wasted.  If, 
upon  the  other  hand,  the  author  has  aroused  en- 
thusiasm, even  that  of  antagonism — in  any  case; 
thought,  whether  of  sympathy  or  opposition — the 
reading  has  been  valuable.  ^ 

No  woman  can  hope  to  enter  the  social  arena 
and  maintain  a  reputation  for  cleverness  with 
knowledge  borrowed  from  books.  To  be  ready  with 
Avhat  somebody  else  has  said,  in  the  form  of  a  quo- 
tation, is  a  very  mild  and  poorly  flavored  kind  ot 
conversational  power,  and  unless  one  adds  to  such 


2l6 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


ordinary  cultivation  very  rare  personal  attractive- 
ness indeed,  she  must  not  be  surprised  if  intelli- 
gent, strongly  individualized  men  avoid  her  openly. 
Better  society  a  man  might  have  by  remaining 
in  his  own  library  and  reading  the  author  first- 
hand. 

One  reason  why  the  woman  who  devotes  her  morn- 
ing to  the  latest  French  novel  is  so  tiresome  in  a  draw- 
room  is,  because  the  very  lowest  form  of  imaginative 
passion  has  been  stimulated  and  exhausted  in  the 
reading,  and  all  that  has  been  gained  for  public  dis- 
play is  a  theatrical  and  affected  application  of  low 
and  disgusting  coquetries,  suggestive  of  intrigue  and 
carelessness.  Even  the  7'one,  who  is  forever  on  the 
alert  for  sentimental  gallantries,  is  disgusted  by 
such  artificiality.  He  has  a  taste  for  immorality,  but 
he  wishes  it  to  bear  the  ingenious  semblance,  at  least, 
of  virtue.  The  day  when  this  style  of  woman  had  the 
power  to  charm  has  passed,  for  she  belonged  to  a 
state  of  society  much  lower  down  in  the  intellectual 
scale  than  our  own.  She  might  furnish  the  theme  for 
the  song  of  a  troubadour  of  the  Middle  Ages,  but 
not  a  subject  for  lofty  admiration  in  this  latter  half 
of  the  nineteenth  century;  not  for  the  reason  that 
public  sentiment  concerning  woman's  mental  capac- 
ity has  been  completely  revolutionized,  so  much  as 
because  men  of  genius  are  no  longer  the  gross  sen- 
sualists that  they  formerly  were.    Passion  has  been 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


217 


exalted  into  a  master  emotion  in  the  minds  of  think- 
ing men,  with  the  result  that  coarse  and  brutal  in- 
dulgence have  lost  their  former  allurement,  and  only 
the  higher  and  more  refined  types  of  reciprocal  emo- 
tion appeal  to  highly  developed  sensibility. 

The  woman  who  completely  subjugates  a  man  of 
commanding  power,  in  the  present  day,  must  possess 
more  than  animal  attractions  or  flippant  accomplish- 
ments. She  must  herself  be  a  woman  of  power, 
of  versatility,  of  thought,  a  rare  and  subtle  com- 
bination of  all  the  virtues;  but,  above  all  other 
charms,  she  must  possess  that  of  mentality. 

The  reaction  from  the  belief  that  a  woman,  to  be 
a  desirable  wife,  must  possess  the  simple  domestic 
instincts  only,  has  been  sweeping  and  complete  in 
the  last  fifteen  years. 

The  sad  evidences  of  unhappiness,  where  men  of 
genius  have  married  intellectually  inferior  women, 
have  had  the  effect  to  awaken  thought  upon  this  sub- 
ject, and  it  is  very  generally  admitted,  now,  that  a 
man  can  find  companionship  with  a  clever  woman 
only — a  woman  who  has  the  sympathetic,  exalted 
mental  enthusiasm  which  he  finds  in  other  men, 
when  wearied  of  impassioned  sentiment.  Such  a 
woman — one  uniting  intellectual  and  artistic  charms 
with  physical  beauty — is  a  power  before  which  gods 
and  men  will  bow  in  enduring  reverence  and  admira- 
tion. Such  women  have  it  within  themselves  to  rule 


2l8  PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 

nations  and  control  public  affairs  to  a  degree  which 
is  limited  by  their  enthusiasm  only. 

To  acquire  this  commanding  mentality,  if  one  be 
not  endowed  with  natural  instincts  for  original 
thought,  and  with  quiet  and  ready  wit,  requires  pa- 
tience; one  does  not  need  text-books — only  mental 
concentration.  Begin  by  reading  little,  but  always 
what  has  been  written  by  thinkers.  Read  one  para- 
graph at  a  time,  then  think  upon  it.  Follow  the 
author's  thought  to  its  apparent  ultimatum,  and 
think  still  further  upon  the  same  subject.  It  is  in- 
evitable that  something  which  has  escaped  the  au- 
thor should  occur  to  one  who  enters  into  this  method 
of  mental  development.  Keep  this  habit  up.  Set 
apart  an  hour  daily  for  this  kind  of  mental  discipline, 
and  one  will  soon  be  surprised  at  the  richness  and 
depth  of  his  or  her  own  mental  reservoirs;  and,  once 
this  habit  has  become  fixed,  it  will  naturally  apply 
itself  not  only  to  written  but  to  spoken  thoughts — to 
things  observed;  and  almost  unconsciously  the  cour- 
age of  certain  mental  convictions  will  be  developed. 
How  trite,  how  poor,  by  comparison,  will  then  seem 
the  shallow  book-acquirements,  which  were  merely 
the  haphazard  gathering  of  information  concerning 
philosophy  and  science,  called  education  in  one's 
school-days  !  How  soon  one  will  learn  to  meet  logic 
with  logic  in  conversation,  thought  with  thought, 
wit  with  readier  comment  yet ! 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


219 


Such  a  method  of  mental  discipHne  is  calculated 
to  bring  forth  the  individual  best,  and,  more  than  all, 
to  show  each  one  in  which  direction  his  own  great- 
est powers  lie,  so  that  there  will  not  be  the  slightest 
danger  of  wide-spread  mental  monotony.  But  the 
end  best  served  will  be  that  of  mental  courage — a 
rare  virtue,  indeed — the  ability  to  think  and  speak 
one's  thoughts  acceptably,  and  in  advance  of  general 
public  opinion.  The  man  or  woman  who  has  this 
rare  power  will  always  find  an  eager  audience,  com- 
posed of  the  ablest  minds,  alert  and  thirsting  for  the 
stimulus  of  original  thought. 

I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  our  present  public- 
school  system  is  against  the  development  of  mental 
individuality,  and  I  hope  that  the  time  will  come 
when  the  crowding  of  a  number  of  pupils  into  one 
badly  ventilated  room,  in  cramped-up  attitudes  at 
desks  for  hours  together,  will  be  abolished.  Already 
in  the  minds  of  more  intelligent  teachers  there  is  a 
decided  sentiment  in  favor  of  object  lessons,  instead 
of  text-books,  and  I  believe  that  the  public-school 
house  of  the  future  will  be  found  in  the  very  heart 
of  nature;  in  other  words,  that  the  higher  evolution 
of  educationary  methods  will  be  in  the  direction  of 
class-work  in  direct  connection  with  the  subject- 
matter.  Memorizing  from  text-books  is  fatal  to  orig- 
inal thought,  and  the  absurd  custom  of  study,  as  now 
organized,  is  injurious  to  physical  health  and  sound 


220 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


minds.  Neither  will  the  education  of  the  future  com- 
prise such  a  mess  of  unclassified  verbiage.  The 
kindergarten  system  of  training  for  children  is  the 
beginning  of  a  better  regime  in  educational  matters, 
and  the  first  promise  of  the  rational  methods  which 
will  eventually  develop  minds  and  individual  thought, 
instead  of  cramming  memories. 

Meanwhile,  those  who  are  longing  for  the  open- 
sesame  by  which  woman's  powers  may  become  im- 
mortal in  history,  and  all  potent  in  the  every-day 
affairs  of  life,  should  cultivate  the  instinct  of  orig- 
inality by  the  methods  already  set  forth,  and  others 
almost  as  valuable.  I  know  one  very  bright  little 
woman  who  enjoys  the  reputation  for  rare  mental 
force  and  acumen,  who  devotes  a  set  time  every  day 
to  holding  arguments  with  herself  upon  different 
subjects  of  popular  interest.  In  other  words,  she  as- 
sumes the  two  characters  in  a  parlor  scene.  Perhaps 
it  is  the  divorce  question  that  is  under  discussion,  or 
the  latest  aspect  of  European  politics,  or  the  fitness 
of  a  certain  candidate  for  national  honors.  She  has 
put  her  thinking-cap  on,  pro  and  con.,  and  deliber- 
ately and  with  zest  enters  into  the  discussion  of  these 
subjects.  She  is  severe  in  her  discriminations,  and 
does  not  allow  either  half  of  her  mental  self  to  be 
betrayed  into  sympathy  with  the  other  half.  The 
result  of  such  discipline  must  be  the  very  highest 
form  of  individual  development. 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


22  1 


I  remember  calling  upon  this  unique  little  lady 
one  afternoon,  a  few  hours  before  she  was  to  enter- 
tain a  brilliant  judge  at  dinner.  She  informed  me, 
with  the  utmost  simplicity  and  naivete,  that  she  had 
just  come  from  an  hour's  conversation  with  herself 
upon  subjects  of  profound  interest  to  her  expected 
guest — in  other  words,  she  had  been  practising, 
mentally,  just  as  a  singer  or  pianist  plays  her  scales 
before  a  public  performance  to  secure  certainty  and 
brilliancy  of  execution. 

She  had  been  polishing  up  her  mental  armor,  not 
getting  up  speeches  for  the  evening.  This  wise 
woman  was  too  cunning  in  her  methods  to  remember 
and  repeat  a  speech  made  up  beforehand;  indeed, 
she  knew  the  value  of  forgetting  all  that  she  had 
ever  said  before,  too  well  to  make  any  effort  that 
would  suggest  other  conversations.  She  was  prac- 
tising for  readiness  of  thought,  fluency  of  speech, 
and  quickness  of  mental  perception. 

His  judgeship  went  away  from  that  little  lady's 
parlor,  enthusiastic  in  her  praises  and  ready  to  de- 
clare her  a  rare  woman.  Not  at  all  the  blue-stock- 
ing; witty,  wise,  sympathetic,  an  ornament  to  her 
sex — amusing  without  being  silly,  bright  without 
pedantry;  an  unusual  woman." 

Yet  in  no  sense  of  the  word,  except  that  defined 
by  a  modern  writer,  is  this  woman  a  genius  in  that 
particular;  in  the  ability  to  work  she  certainly  is. 


222 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


Had  she  not  adopted  this  unusual  method  for  mental 
improvement,  she  would,  however,  have  been  re- 
garded as  almost  hopelessly  uninteresting,  because 
she  is  lacking  in  several  very  important  physical 
charms.  A  low  musical  voice  and  refined  readiness 
of  speech,  with  something  to  say  worth  hearing, 
have  given  her  a  permanent  and  enduring  reputa- 
tion for  individuality;  yet  all  of  these  charms  are  the 
result  of  thought  and  profound  study. 

Before  we  can  hope  to  develop  a  race  of  original 
thinkers  and  conversationalists,  we  have  undoubtedly 
much  to  do  with  the  general  educational  system. 
Habits,  prejudices,  and  opinions  are  trained  into  men 
and  women  in  the  school-room,  which  leave  their 
impressions  for  all  coming  years.  It  is  almost  im- 
possible, under  existing  conditions,  to  hope  that 
mental  independence  and  strength  will  take  the 
place  of  predetermined  opinions  and  theories. 

The  genius  of  great  men  is  largely  that  of  fearless 
independence,  which  leads  them  to  explore  the  un- 
known, and  by  investigation  and  reason  arrive  at 
conclusions  which  have  the  weight  of  facts.  To 
cultivate  genius  and  mental  individuality,  some  gen- 
eral process  which  will  stimulate  independence  and 
thoroughness  of  thought  and  reasoning  is  necessary. 
The  practical  range  of  the  human  mind  is,  I  believe, 
far  wider  and  more  varied  than  v/e  have  heretofore 
supposed;  but  to  the  development  of  mental  genius 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


223 


the  complete  emancipation  from  accepted  traditions 
is  necessary,  and  it  is  not  possible  to  develop  general 
habits  of  vigorous  and  original  thought  and  expres- 
sion unless  we  are  ready  for  methods  which  are 
somewhat  opposed  to  accepted  forms. 

But,  individually,  it  is  worth  the  trial,  and  many 
a  hopelessly  unattractive  woman  might  become  the 
very  centre  of  a  charming  circle,  were  she  ready  for 
the  liard  work  involved  in  arousing  her  best  mental 
possibilities. 

Leaving  the  mental  plane  for  the  physical  (al- 
though I  am  compelled  to  confess  that  I  hesitated 
long  about  giving  precedence  to  the  mental),  we 
find  that  the  same  law  of  individuality  which  leads  to 
mental  attractiveness  applies  to  the  physical.  Fash- 
ion is  often  the  deadly  enemy  of  individuality,  rather 
than  the  handmaid  and  servant;  and  many  a  woman 
who  might  enjoy  superior  physical  charms  lacks  the 
moral  courage  to  assert  her  good  taste  and  original- 
ity concerning  physical  development  and  dress. 
The  woman  who  wishes  to  enjoy  the  highest  form 
of  physical  individuality  must  give  nature  the  chance 
for  scientific  physical  development,  and  the  benefit 
of  clothing  adapted  to  her  own  artistic  possibilities. 

With  Sarah  Bernhardt,  it  is  exquisite,  subtle, 
muscular  freedom,  even  more  than  histrionic  genius, 
which  attracts  attention,  and  her  individuality  is 
more  that  of  movement,  grace,  and  radiation,  than 


224 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


of  tragic  art.  Yet  the  pose,  poise,  walk,  and  action, 
which  give  her  such  commanding  prominence,  are 
the  result  of  muscular  freedom  and  vital  radiation, 
together  with  a  style  of  dress  calculated  to  hide 
physical  defects  and  emphasize  special  charms. 

Individuality  may  show  itself  in  an  especially  be- 
coming method  of  dress,  in  characteristic  gracious- 
ness  of  manner,  in  the  exquisite  melody  of  a  laugh, 
the  musical  vibrations  of  a  voice,  the  sinuous  grace 
of  vital  carriage,  in  a  thousand  subtle  and  complex 
ways,  each  and  every  one  dependent,  however,  upon 
sound  and  unfettered  bodies;  and  the  woman  who 
refuses  to  recognize  the  underlying  principle  in  phys- 
ical culture  and  healthful  dress  ignores  many  of  the 
possibilities  of  physical  individuality. 

Going  from  physical  science  to  the  trifling  details 
which  are,  after  all,  of  much  more  importance  than 
appears  at  a  first  glance,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  certain 
women  may  in  an  instant  destroy  the  single  possi- 
ble touch  of  individuality  by  following  arbitrary 
fashion  in  hair-dressing,  gowns,  bonnets,  and  orna- 
mentation, which  have  a  tendency  to  exaggerate  and 
emphasize  the  very  personal  defects  which  most  re- 
quire concealment. 

Intelligent  understanding  and  study  of  one's  self 
is  sure  to  result  in  pleasing  and  suggestive  person- 
ality. 

Much  more  might  be  said  upon  this  subject  to 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


225 


prove  that  individuality  demands  study,  thought,  and 
intelligent  adaptation  of  means'to  ends.  The  first 
step  has  been  taken,  however,  toward  one's  best 
development  when  either  a  man  or  woman  has  re- 
solved to  know  himself  or  herself,  and  apply  reason- 
able independence  of  action  to  latent  possibilities. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


THE  HOME  OF  THE  FUTURE,  AND  ITS  QUEEN. 


HE  subject  for  this  chapter  was 
furnished  by  the  grumblings 
of  a  pessimistic  old  gentle- 
man, who  declared  it  as  his 
belief  that  there  would  be  no 
such  thing  in  the  future  as  a 
home.    Said  he:  "Look 
at  the  hotels,  apart- 
ments,  flats,  board- 
ing-houses, and 
places   in   our  large 
cities   where  people 
can  herd  and  swarm, 
crowded  to  their  ut- 
most holding  capac- 
ity during  all  of  the 
winter  season;  and  in 
summer  go   to  any 
kind  of  resort,  how- 
ever poor,  and  there 
you  will  find  the  same 
conditions.  Women 


no  longer  take  inter- 


est 


houses  and 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


227 


homes  such  as  our  mothers  and  grandmothers  took; 
home  has  lost  its  significance,  its  sacredness,  and  is 
destined,  in  my  opinion,  to  altogether  disappear 
from  off  the  face  of  the  earth.  We  shall  have  any- 
thing and  everything  for  substitutes;  but  the  beau- 
tiful domestic  retreat  is  fast  becoming  a  thing  of  the 
past.  Grand  houses  for  the  rich,  in  which  they  are 
seldom  found,  and,  when  they  are,  seem  as  little  at 
home  as  any  guest — yes;  but  the  refined  domestic 
fireside — no." 

Let  us  inquire  into  the  truth  and  justice  of  this 
prophecy,  for  I  confess  that  the  honest  observer  is 
bound  to  admit  a  rather  wide-spread  Bohemian  ten- 
dency at  the  present  time,  and  if  there  is  reason  to 
believe  that  the  pleasures  of  home  have  lost  their 
hold  upon  the  heart  let  us  search  for  the  cause. 

It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  thousands  of  people 
board,  the  year  round,  who  could  afford  to  keep  an 
establishment  of  more  or  less  modest  pretensions, 
and  the  reasons  given  are,  in  their  order:  the  diffi- 
culty with  servants;  the  amount  of  time  that  must 
necessarily  be  devoted  to  wearing  and  monotonous 
details;  that  the  same  amount  of  money  spent  in 
other  ways  makes  more  comfort  and  show,  and 
brings  greater  returns  in  the  luxury  of  nothing  to  do 
except  to  please  one's  self;  that  one  has  more  com- 
panionship, and,  according  to  the  bent  of  inclination, 
time  for  study,  philanthropy,  public  interests,  and  a 


228 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


general  good  time;  and  if  one's  husband  is  a  club 
man  who  seldom  devotes  an  evening  to  home,  the 
wife  thinks  less  about  it,  and  instead  of  spending 
several  lonely  hours  as  formerly,  in  patient  listening 
for  the  sound  of  a  familiar  footstep,  she  makes  inter- 
ests for  herself  just  as  he  does,  and  learns  to  live 
without  his  companionship. 

To  analyze  these  reasons  in  their  order,  we  will 
begin  with  the  servant  problem,  which  really  is  a 
serious  one  in  this  country,  and  yearly  becoming 
more  so.  I  have  recently  been  very  much  interested 
in  a  series  of  letters  in  a  leading  daily,  published  in 
one  of  our  largest  cities,  from  working  girls  who 
were  asked  to  define  their  reasons  for  preferring  to 
work  in  a  store,  factory,  or  office  to  the  far  more 
healthful  housework,  and  although  some  of  these  re- 
plies were  weak  and  illogical,  showing  a  general 
spirit  of  restlessness  and  discontent,  a  few  went  to 
what  I  believe  to  be  the  pith  of  the  matter  as  viewed 
by  really  intelligent,  self-respecting  women  ;  and 
although,  as  was  to  be  expected,  the  best  of  these 
replies  dealt  with  one  side  of  the  question  only,  the 
other  side  was  worthy  of  serious  consideration — 
that  of  the  women  who  complain,  and  justly,  that 
they  cannot  get  responsible  people  to  do  their  nec- 
essary work. 

The  pith  of  these  complaints — the  real  kernel  with- 
in the  shell,  was,  that  one  is  made  at  every  turn  to 


\ 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY.  229 

feel  that  the  work  is  degrading,  and  the  worker  de- 
graded. 

Perhaps  the  most  sensible  and  just  of  these  letters 
was  that  of  a  young  woman  of  American  parentage, 
who  said  that  she  had  absolutely  nothing  else  to 
complain  of  Her  mistress  was  negatively  kind,  pro- 
vided her  with  comfortable  quarters,  did  not  demand 
any  more  work  than  she  could  reasonably  perform, 
and  gave  her  plenty  of  food  and  as  good  as  the  fam- 
ily had;  but  she  never  allowed  me  to  forget  that 
I  was  an  inferior;  her  manner  was  a  constant  con- 
descension, although  I  was  as  well  born  and  as  well 
educated  as  herself  Six  months  determined  me 
upon  not  being  a  servant,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  I  much  prefer  household  work  to  shop-tending, 
which  I  am  now  engaged  in.  Although  any  position 
has  its  trials,  as  a  saleswoman  I  do  not  feel  every 
hour  in  the  day  that  I  am  an  outcast.  I  have  more 
time  to  myself,  and  a  certain  kind  of  self-respecting 
independence.  When  women  want  intelligent,  care- 
taking,  educated  helpers  in  their  households,  and 
they  take  the  initiative  in  recognizing  the  rights  of 
such  a  class,  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  secure  them; 
until  that  time,  they  will  be  compelled  to  bear  with 
the  trials  of  ignorance,  incompetence,  and  the  ills  of 
which  so  many  now  complain." 

Other  letters  stated  that  in  many  cases,  besides  be- 
ing constantly  made  to  feel  the  sting  of  inferiority. 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


creature  comforts  were  denied  them,  the  servants' 
quarters  often  being  hardly  fit  for  human  beings, 
dirty,  cramped,  with  rickety  furniture  and  httle  at 
that;  beds  hard  and  uncomfortable  and  the  room,  in 
general,  lacking  in  every  convenience,  cold  in  winter 
and  hot  in  summer;  while  the  food  was  what  hap- 
pened to  be  left  from  the  table,  of  the  substantial, 
with  all  delicacies  denied.  I  have  tried  to  look  at 
this  question  from  both  sides,  and  while  I  am  com- 
pelled to  admit  that  I  have  borne  my  share  from  ir- 
responsible and  ignorant  help,  I  believe  that  the  evil 
might  be  corrected,  if  enough  women  in  any  city 
were  interested  to  band  together  for  the  common 
object — to  secure  intelligent,  adaptable  women  who 
would  bear  treating  with  consideration. 

Household  work  is  not  necessarily  degrading,  and 
it  is  a  mistake  to  regard  it  so.  Perfect  cleanliness, 
sanitary  and  chemical  knowledge,  refinement  of 
feeling  and  self-respect  in  domestic  affairs  would  be 
the  very  introduction  to  heaven  upon  earth.  To  be 
free  from  the  dominion  of  ignorance,  sloth,  filth, 
crudeness,  and  impertinence  would  be  a  thing  worth 
striving  for. 

''And  how  might  this  be  attained.?"  asks  the 
skeptic.  "  Shall  we  take  our  cook  and  housemaids 
for  bosom  friends,  introduce  them  to  our  intimates, 
eat  with  them  at  table,  and  live  upon  general  terms 
of  familiarity  V    Not  necessarily,  although  we  must 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


231 


make  it  distinctly  understood  among  our  intimates 
tliat  we  do  not  regard  our  kitchen  girls  as  degraded 
by  their  work  while  it  is  performed  intelligently 
and  well.  The  self-respecting  young  woman  will 
not  wish  to  become  the  intimate  of  her  employer 
unless  she  is  able  to  so  attach  herself  to  her  that 
there  shall  be  some  reason  for  it  in  affinity  of  spirit, 
just  as  with  other  friendships  and  interests  in  life. 

As  I  perceive  it,  the  zvork  itself  must  be  relieved 
from  the  stigma  of  degradation. 

The  mutual  bearing  of  mistress  and  maid  must  be 
respectful,  kindly,  helpful,  appreciative,  but  not 
necessarily  familiar. 

Helpers'  rooms  must  be  made  comfortable  and  in- 
viting. 

No  girl  must  be  compelled  to  sleep  with  any  other 
girl.  This  is  a  great  wrong  in  my  judgment,  or  a 
real  indignity. 

The  food  provided  must  be  of  good  quality  and 
plentiful. 

The  hours  of  work  reasonable,  and  at  least  two 
hours  of  each  day  for  the  one  who  rises  early — the 
time  most  conveniently  spared — should  be  a  girl's  own 
to  do  what  it  may  please  her  to  do,  sewing,  reading, 
or  whatever  she  will  most  enjoy.  Helpers  should 
not  only  be  permitted,  they  should  be  encouraged, 
to  have  friends,  and  to  receive  them  at  reason- 
able hours.    Where  it  is  possible,  the  mistress  of  a 


232 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


house  should  provide  both  a  bath-room  and  an  at- 
tractive, if  small,  sitting-room  for  their  convenience 
and  comfort.  In  other  words,  the  human  demands, 
the  comforts,  the  physical  and  mental  needs  of  this 
class  of  workers  must  be  recognized  and  respected 
in  order  that  the  work  may  command  the  services  of 
the  really  competent  and  self-respecting.  Neither 
need  a  woman  of  education  and  refinement  feel  that 
she  had  lowered  her  dignity  by  spending  a  few  mo- 
ments daily  in  conversation  with  her  helpers  upon 
subjects  of  interest  outside  their  work,  upon  general 
topics,  giving  them  the  resume  of  her  recent  reading 
of  good  books,  the  latest  bit  of  scientific  or  philo- 
sophical news,  anything  helpful  and  stimulating,  and 
calculated  to  furnish  the  mind  a  momentary  and 
pleasing  diversion,  and  the  heart  the  knowledge  of 
that  spirit  of  interest  and  fellowship  which  carries 
warmth  and  good  cheer  in  its  train. 

One  woman  could  not  inaugurate  such  a  change, 
but  a  number  of  earnest  women  might,  and  an 
organization  for  the  encouragement  and  employ- 
ment of  educated  home  helpers  might  be  started, 
and  supported,  until  the  dignity  of  general  house- 
work, good  cooking  and  refined  home  service  was 
restored  to  the  place  which  it  long  enjoyed  among 
well-born,  well-educated  New  England  women  in 
the  earlier  days.  Employers  belonging  to  such  an 
organization  would  be  pledged  to  keep  no  domestics 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


except  those  of  character  and  proper  training  for 
their  duties,  and  to  regard  them  as  helpers,  and  en- 
titled to  such  reasonable  consideration  as  I  have 
already  set  forth;  while  the  helpers  themselves 
should  be  pledged  to  perform  their  duties  faithfully 
and  intelligently,  to  look  upon  their  work  in  the 
nature  of  a  domestic  profession  requiring  study  and 
skill;  and  valuable  in  proportion  to  the  nicety  and 
excellence  with  which  each  separate  duty  was  ful- 
filled. Cooking,  particularly,  should  be  regarded  as 
a  fine  art.  Such  a  mutual  protection  organization, 
to  be  perfect  in  its  workings,  should  furnish  to  each 
member  the  means  for  acquiring  hygienic  and  ap- 
petizing culinary  knowledge— the  department,  of  all 
others,  in  which  our  present  difficulties  seem  most 
hopeless  and  discouraging. 

How  soon  the  exclamations,  "  You  have,  I  see,  the 
trained  helpers:  is  it  not  a  great  relief  Are  they 
not  a  comfort  1  Is  not  housekeeping  a  pleasure 
since  their  introduction  1  Is  it  not  bliss  to  feel  that 
there  is  responsibility  instead  of  dense  ignorance  in 
the  kitchen.^  "  etc.,  etc.,  would  be  heard  in  place  of 
the  lamentations  which  now  fill  the  measure  of  the 
housewife's  trials. 

Whether^the  rank  and  file  of  the  Bridget  and  Bid- 
dy brigade  would  ever  learn  the  lesson  I  will  not 
pretend  to  say,  but  the  more  intelligent  and  adapt- 
able would,  no  doubt,  after  a  few  years  spent  upon 


234 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


American  shores;  and  those  who  did  not  would 
find  employment  at  rough  work  only — the  overflow 
of  heavy  washing,  cleaning,  and  other  coarser 
branches,  as  well  as  at  farm  and  factory  labor.  The 
object  to  redeem  light,  pleasant,  refined  house- 
work in  simple  homes  from  the  stigma  which  is  a 
disintegrating  cause  in  the  deplorable  tendency  tow- 
ard the  abandonment  of  housekeeping  and,  conse- 
quently, home-making,  would  have  been  achieved; 
and  at  the  same  time  the  next  objection,  that  many 
valuable  hours  are  necessarily  given  to  wearing  and 
monotonous  details,  would  be  disposed  of,  for  sys- 
tem.in  the  household,  and  responsibility  in  each  de- 
partment would  bring  surcease  from  the  annoyances 
and  vexations  of  constant  repetition  of  the  same 
orders  day  after  day.  With  the  establishment  of 
responsibility  among  servants,  expenses  would  be 
perceptibly  reduced,  for  there  is  a  great  deal  of  un- 
avoidable waste  and  extravagance  under  present 
conditions  in  most  households. 

As  to  the  greater  possibility  for  show  on  a  mod- 
erate income  when  boarding,  there  can  be  no  doubt. 
Keeping  up  a  house  is  more  expensive,  under  the 
most  favorable  conditions,  than  boarding,  but  the 
compensation  in  small  conveniences  is  threefold; 
and  in  the  matter  of  companionship,  the  mixed  and 
indiscriminate  associations  of  the  best  of  boarding- 
houses  must  be  objectionable  and  far  from  satisfy- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


ing  to  those  of  sensitiveness  and  refinement  of  feel- 
ing. With  all  possible  regard  and  justice  for  the 
many  excellent  women  who  are  engaged  in  board- 
ing-house keeping,  I  cannot  refrain  from  saying 
that  the  general  tendency  of  boarding-house  life  is 
demoralizing.  The  idle  gossip  of  the  parlor  and 
dining-room,  the  gradual  letting  down  of  the  mind 
to  take  speculative  interest  in  the  affairs  of  each  new- 
comer, the  freedom  from  those  little  womanly  re- 
sponsibilities which  develop  thoughtfulness  and 
character  within  the  walls  of  home  are  not  con- 
ducive to  the  bringing  out  of  one's  best.  The  in- 
terests of  the  boarding-house  are  seldom  the  large 
human  interests  of  mutual  sympathy  and  helpful- 
ness: they  are  too  often  but  the  idle,  desultory,  hap- 
hazard stimulations  of  curiosity,  which  will  degen- 
erate into  unkindness,  and  even  viciousness  if  not 
closely  watched. 

At  the  risk  of  being  thought  old-fashioned,  behind 
the  times,  not  progressive,  I  must  declare  my  belief, 
thatthe  best  flowers  of  character  bloom  inside  the  gra- 
cious influences  of  home.  An  occasional  wild  blossom 
of  rare  fragrance  and  beauty  springs,  it  is  true,  from 
the  barren  and  arid  soil  of  the  desert,  but  the  wide- 
spread cultivation  of  human  graces  and  amenities 
depends  upon  the  daily  small  influences,  and  the 
home  is  the  true  cradle  of  character.  Nothing  can 
be  regarded  as  really  progressive  or  desirable  which 


236 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


turns  woman's  nature  away  from  such  a  destiny,  and 
since  woman  is  the  complement  of  man,  he  also  must 
be  included  within  this  magic  circle.  The  home 
must  be  made  to  comprehend  and  embrace  the  limit- 
less range  of  human  interests.  Whenever  and  wher- 
ever it  fails  to  do  this,  home  must  be  regarded  as  a 
failure — an  abiding-place  only. 

Unlike  the  pessimistic  old  gentleman,  however, 
whose  complaints  begin  this  chapter,  I  believe  that 
the  future  will  see  homes  beside  which  the  homes  of 
the  past  will  seem,  by  comparison,  mere  habitations. 
We  are  now  in  the  throes  of  a  transition  period.  In- 
dividual human  rights  are  under  the  most  jealous  dis- 
cussion, and  the  adjustment  of  the  aroused  senti- 
ments of  equality  and  equity,  as  between  man  and 
man,  and  man  and  woman,  cannot  be  compassed 
except  by  the  lessons  learned  from  past  mistakes, 
and  the  deductions  drawn  from  the  practical  and 
far-reaching  logic  of  experience.  I  have  no  fears 
for  the  future.  The  home  of  the  future  will  be  the 
grandest  institution  the  world  has  seen;  its  queen 
will  be  possessed  of  graces  of  mind,  body,  and  spirit, 
which  will  mark  her  as  the  superior  of  all  the  scep- 
tred rulers  of  ancient  or  modern  times. 

Grand  women  have  lived  and  adorned  the  history 
of  the  centuries,  but  grander  women  yet  are  to  follow. 
Noble  men  have  loved,  cherished,  and  protected 
beautiful  wives,  and  given  of  their  devotion  accord- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


ing"  t«o  the  light  and  spirit,  sometimes  far  in  advance 
of  it,  of  the  age  in  which  they  have  lived  since  the 
earliest  evolutions  of  the  higher  types  of  civilized 
character,  but  there  has  never  been  a  time  when  the 
finger  of  God  has  pointed  so  unmistakably  to  the 
solidarity  of  human  destiny  as  in  the  present  hour. 

Men  and  women,  under  the  most  favorable  con- 
ditions, have,  in  the  past,  missed  that  exquisite 
adjustment  of  all  of  their  faculties  of  mind  and  body, 
which  are  now  giving  promise  of  a  perfected  human- 
ity; for  the  unmistakable  tendency  of  the  apparent 
antagonisms  and  division  of  interests  which  are  un- 
der discussion  as  woman's  rights  in  every  depart- 
ment of  life,  thought  and  activity,  must  lead  to  a 
better  understanding  of  the  mutual  interests  of  both 
halves  of  a  perfected  humanity. 

Just  as  a  comet,  hoAvever  wild,  erratic,  and  extended 
its  flight,  is  bound  by  the  laws  of  the  solar  system  to 
return  again  from  its  wanderings,  the  heart  of  hu- 
manity will  return  to  the  centre  of  affection — the 
home;  but  the  sacred  fires  of  love  will  burn  upon  a 
reconstructed  hearthstone,  around  which  will  cluster 
the  happier,  holier  interests  of  inseparable  compan- 
ionship and  mutual  ambitions. 

Woman  will  still  be  the  home-maker  in  the  sweet 
domestic  sense,  but  she  will  be  more;  she  will  be 
the  magnet,  whose  grander  physical,  mental,  and 
moral  powers  will  draw  and  hold  the  heart  and  de- 


238 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


votion  of  man  captive  to  the  charms  of  a  splendid 
womanhood,  broad  and  comprehensive  enough  to 
meet  and  fill  every  demand  of  his  higher  manhood. 
Such  men  and  women  will  walk  together,  not  apart; 
they  are  separated  now  by  the  diameter  of  a  golden 
circle,  along  which  each  is  traveling  toward  the 
other,  but  their  point  of  meeting  will  eventuate  in 
an  indissoluble  union  of  mutual  interests. 

The  home  of  the  future  may  be  humble  or  costly, 
wanting  in  grand  appointments,  or  a  very  treasure- 
house  of  art,  according  to  circumstances,  but  it  will 
be  independent  of  the  mere  accident  of  wealth  in  all 
of  the  essentials  which  make  the  solid  happiness  of 
life.  Men  and  women  will  be  so  rich  in  the  realities 
of  character  that  they  can  afford  to  smile  above  the 
vulgar  pretenses  which  make  the  present  interests  of 
many  shallow  minds. 

The  home  of  the  future  will  rest  upon  the  secure 
foundations  of  honesty,  simplicity,  love,  and  char- 
acter. Men  and  women  will  not  fear  to  live  in  ac- 
cordance with  simple  facts,  deeply  grateful  when 
blessed  with  material  prosperity,  but  not  hesitating 
to  admit  that  self-respecting  necessity  for  small 
economies,  which  is  no  measure  of  human  worth. 
Sacrificing  the  realities  to  idle  pomp  and  show  will 
seem  unworthy  serious  minds. 

The  home  of  the  future  will  stand  at  the  very  head 
of  all  human  institutions,  and  its  queen  will  comple- 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


ment  its  king  with  a  royal  and  gracious  womanhood, 
which  will  admit  of  no  question  of  inferiority  or  su- 
periority. There  will  be  no  bolts  nor  bars,  no  bar- 
riers, no  limitations  of  sex.  Motherhood  will  be  held 
no  more  sacred  than  fatherhood,  but  parenthood  will 
be  held  the  highest  and  holiest  of  all  human  respon- 
sibilities. Morality  will  know  no  sex,  and  the  gods 
of  truth,  honesty,  virtue,  intelligence,  and  love  will 
preside  at  the  domestic  altar. 


URING  all  the  years  when  "wom- 
^^NlIM   liHw      an's  sphere  "  was  under  discus- 
sion, not  a  word  was  said  about 
man's    sphere.     One  was 
therefore  led  to  believe  that 
man  had  no  recognized 
sphere,     else  why 
such  long-continued 
silence  concerning 
so  important  a  mat- 
ter, at  a  time  when 
woman's  duties, 
rights,  privileges, 
and  powers  were  ex- 
haustively discuss- 
ed,  measured,  and 
limited  by  all  man- 
ner of  men,  in  news- 
papers, periodicals, 
and  books,  from  the 
pulpit,  rostrum,  and  in  private  places  ? 

I  have  often  wondered  what  the  state  of  men's 

240 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


241 


minds  would  have  been,  had  women  begun  a  discus- 
sion of  man's  sphere,  based  upon  the  same  narrow 
and  illogical  deduction,  and  emphasized  by  the  same 
egregious  self-importance  which  led  to  masculine 
declaration  of  belief  in  the  necessity  for  limitation  of 
feminine  privileges  in  the  past. 

It  goes  without  saying  that,  in  this  year  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  the  words,  "  You  may  permit  wom- 
en to  do  this  or  that,"  addressed  to  a  class  of  divinity 
students  recently  by  a  learned  divine,  are  more 
amusing  than  annoying  to  the  women  who  go  di- 
rectly to  the  throne  of  God  for  the  inspiration  of  life; 
nevertheless,  an  important  human  lesson  may  be 
learned  from  the  fossil  remains  of  these  ancient 
prejudices  which  live  men  and  women  have  relegated, 
along  with  other  primitive  curiosities,  to  historical 
archives.  In  closing  this  little  book,  which  I  hope 
may  prove  helpful  in  some  simple,  practical  particu- 
lars to  both  men  and  women,  I  wish  to  call  atten- 
tion to  this  lesson,  under  the  long-neglected  heading, 

Man's  Sphere?" 

In  the  past,  men  have  been  in  turn,  toward  other 
men,  both  rulers  and  ruled;  toward  women,  en  masse, 
they  have  been  gods  or  demons,  tyrants  or  passion's 
slaves,  protectors  or  betrayers,  anything  and  every- 
thing except  equals  and  companions.  With  the 
dawning  recognition  of  man's  sphere,  we  are  just 
beginning  to  know  the  beauty  and  the  tenderness. 


242 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


the  strength  and  the  devotion,  the  divine  humanness, 
and  the  human  divinity  in  man's  nature,  under  con- 
ditions which  encourage  and  develop  his  nobler 
attributes.  For  the  first  time  in  the  world's  history 
man's  sphere  is  coming  in  for  its  share  of  recognition, 
and  it  is  found  to  be  that  of  companion,  brother,  and 
co-worker  with  woman.  With  the  recognition  of 
man's  sphere  grand  and  great  men  hasten  to  extend 
the  hand  of  comradeship  to  women,  no  longer  afraid 
to  welcome  them  to  participation  in  all  of  the  splendid 
activities  which  develop  bodies  and  stimulate  mental 
force.  These  men  no  longer  say  to  women,  "  Your 
place  is  there,"  but  to  all  the  world,  proudly  standing 
at  woman's  side,  they  declare    Our  place  is  here." 

In  this  beautiful  and  equitable  readjustment  of 
human  interests,  the  element  of  sex  is  stronger  than 
ever  before',  but  refined,  ennobled,  purified,  and  not, 
as  heretofore,  specialized.  In  this  glorious  oneness 
of  human  interests,  men  are  men,  and  women,  wom- 
en, with  all  of  their  distinguishing  characteristics; 
but  they  are  removed  above  the  animals  by  the 
recognition  of  a  divinity  of  spirit  which  is  more  than 
male  and  female — which  is  manly,  womanly. 

Since  man  has  come  into  his  rightful  sphere  as 
the  companion  and  not  the  master,  how  much 
greater  the  apparent  respect  between  the  sexes!  I 
was  particularly  impressed  vv^ith  this  at  a  recent 
public  gathering,  where  both  men  and  women  were 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


invited,  upon  equal  terms,  to  express  ideas  upon  a 
subject  of  weight  and  importance.  There  was  no 
condescension,  no  toleration  in  the  spirit  with  which 
men  listened  to  the  opinions  of  women,  but  an  eager 
and  genuine  interest,  which  showed  itself  in  hearty 
and  spontaneous  applause  when  one  very  able  wife 
of  a  noble  husband,  and  mother  of  six  sons,  scored 
a  point  of  more  than  usual  originality  and  brilliancy. 

It  was  beautiful  to  see  the  tenderness  and  rever- 
ence with  which  men,  young  and  old,  paid  her  social 
courtesies  later  on.  There  was  not  a  man  in  the 
assemblage  who  was  discussing  her  age,  and  calling 
her  passe;  not  one  who  was  joking  vulgarly  about 
the  loss  of  the  bloom  of  sweet  sixteen;  not  one  who 
had  a  flippant  or  idle  comment  for  that  grand  old 
woman.  These  men  had,  one  and  all,  entered  upon 
man's  sacred  sphere,  in  which  manhood  and  woman- 
hood are  held  as  coequal;  in  which  the  higher  and 
holier  instincts  of  human  nature  are  no  longer  lim- 
ited by  sex  alone. 

"  She  is  a  magnificent  woman,"  said  an  enthusi- 
astic young  fellow,  just  out  of  college;  ''she  has  a  face 
which  is  an  inspiration;  she  makes  me  feel  what  a 
loss  to  a  young  man  the  early  death  of  his  mother 
is.  I  am  sure,  from  what  I  have  been  told  of  mine, 
that  she  would  have  been  another  such  splendid 
character,  had  she  lived." 

I  think  that  this  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful 


244 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


tributes  to  womanhood,  pure  and  simple,  that  I 
have  ever  heard.  Compare  the  lofty  spirit  of  it  with 
that  of  the  average  college  boy  of  a  decade  ago, 
before  man  had  come  into  his  rightful  sphere: 

"  I  am  opposed  to  women  talkers  in  public;  if  she 
were  my  mother,  I  would  not  allow  it.  The  place 
for  women  is  at  home:  they  are  out  of  their  sphere 
when  talking  on  public  questions.  I  do  not  like  to 
see  women  trying  to  be  men." 

This  sweet-faced  old  woman  spoke,  earnestly  and 
eloquently,  truths  which  she  had  learned  from  the 
rich  experience  of  a  lifetime.  They  were  not  mas- 
culine nor  feminine  truths;  they  were  human  truths, 
and  of  equal  importance  to  men  and  women. 

There  are  still  a  few  men  left  who  know  nothing 
of  man's  sphere — men  who  admire  pretty  and  insipid 
girlhood,  and  care  not  whether  rosy  lips  drop 
"pearls  or  toads;"  men  who  watch  for  the  first 
gray  hair,  and  the  first  line  of  age  about  the  eyes  of 
women,  ready  with  the  finger  of  derision  and  the 
>  remark  of  scorn,  as  if  these  legitimate  fruits  of  the 
passing  years  were  evidence  of  woman's  crime. 
Such  men  may  have  polished  drawing-room  man- 
ners, and  pass  for  gentlemen;  but  they  know  noth- 
ing of  man's  holier  sphere,  in  which  womanhood, 
whether  bearing  the  first  flush  of  maiden  charm,  or 
the  more  resplendent  glory  of  maturer  responsibility 
and  experiences,  is  held  in  sacred  respect.  Shall 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY, 


we  pity  or  blame  such  men  ?  I  hold  them  as  objects 
of  pity,  because  they  have  certainly  missed  the  op- 
portunity to  learn  the  richest  of  all  of  life's  lessons 
— that  of  companionship  and  oneness  with  women. 

The  man  who  is  still  outside  man's  sacred  sphere 
in  the  ignorance  which  regards  womanhood  as  a 
matter  of  sex  only,  the  fresh  bloom  of  girlhood  as 
all  that  there  is  to  woman's  charms,  the  passing 
years  as  destroyers  of  her  attractiveness,  and  of 
feminine  grace  and  accomplishment  as  mere  pink- 
and-white  prettiness  of  superficial  mental  knowl- 
edge, and  given  to  coquetries  and  sighs,  is,  in  spirit, 
little  in  advance  of  his  brother  of  the  forest  and 
plain,  who  recognizes  only  the  sensual  element  in 
sex  and  the  brutal  rights  of  degraded  possession. 

Having  entered  upon  man's  sphere,  the  beauties 
in  universal  association  of  ideas  appeal  to  the  mind 
with  a  certain  moral  grandeur  and  richness  which 
has  hitherto  been  missed. 

In  lofty  friendship  between  men  and  women  lies 
that  rare  alchemy  which  transmutes  unneutralized 
and  selfish  instincts  into  sympathetic  and  enduring 
interests.  It  is  not  alone  that  woman's  character 
and  life  is  enriched  and  broadened;  man  himself 
is  lifted  into  sincerity  of  soul,  and  serenity  of  heart 
and  mind. 

Through  the  definition  of  man's  sphere,  and  not 
woman's,  do  we  approach  the  ideal   life.  With 


246 


PHYSICAL  BEAUTY. 


totally  distinct  personalities,  but  the  same  moral 
sympathies,  with  intrinsic  and  indestructible  char- 
acteristics distinguishing  each  from  the  other,  yet 
with  a  blending  of  mental  culture,  love  of  liberty, 
and  progressive  interests,  men  and  women  become 
units  of  humanity,  equals,  co-workers  in  the  nobler 
fields  of  moral  and  mental  activities.  With  this 
closer  communion  of  wide-spread  sympathies  it  is 
inevitable  that  the  refining  and  hallowing  influences 
of  family  life  and  affection  should  keep  pace.  It  is 
not,  then,  by  limiting  woman's  sphere,  but  by  en- 
larging man's  until  old  prejudices  drop  away,  that 
he  recognizes  the  grand  truth  that'  in  unrestrict- 
ed human  liberty,  and  not  by  superior  privilege 
accorded  sex,  will  the  divine'  purpose  in  human 
destiny  be  achieved.  With  m.an's  entrance  upon 
this  higher  sphere  of  reasoning,  the  perfecting  of 
the  race  through  cooperating  affection  and  intelli- 
gence must  be  fulfilled,  and  an  ideal  social  and  do- 
mestic equilibrium  forever  established. 


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ie"-Tlfi  Llarf  of  Anericatt  Literato  .-'^^^ 

COMPILED  AND  EDITED  BY 

EDMUND  CLAEENCE  STEDMAH  AND  ELLEN  MACKAY  HUTCHINSON. 

The  '*  Libraj-v  of  American  Liter aUire'^  is  the  WasJiington  Mommient 
of  American  Letters. 

CONTENTS: 

Vol.     I. — Early  Colonial  Literature,  1607-1675. 
Vol.   II. — Later  Colonial  Literature,  1676-1764. 
Vol.  III. — Literature  of  the  Revolution,  i 765-1787. 
Vol.  IV. — Literature  of  the  Republic,  Constitutional  Period, 
1 788-1 820. 

Vol.  V. — Literature  of  the  Republic,  1821-1834. 

Vols.  VI.,  VII.,  VIII. — Literature  of  the  Republic,  1835-1860. 

Vols.  IX.,  X.,  XL — Literature  of  the  Republic,  i86i-i8go. 
Fully  representing  writers  that  have  arisen  since  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  War.  Vol.  XL  contains  biographical  notices  of  all  authors 
quoted,  selections  from  recent  literary  productions,  and  an  exhaus- 
tive topical  index  of  the  entire  work. 

The  Library  of  American  Literature.  Compiled  and  Edited  by 
Edmund  Clarence  Stedman  and  Ellen  Mackav^  Hutchinson. 
In  Eleven  Octavo  Volumes  of  over  500  Pages  each.  Fifteen 
Full-Page  Portraits  in  each  Volume,  many  of  which  are  Rare  and 
Valuable. 

A  nation  lives  in  its  literature,  which,  unless  it  be  imitative,  re- 
flects the  character  of  thought  of  every  period  through  which  the  na- 
tion passes.  Here  is  the  record  of  patriotism,  of  the  struggles  for  re- 
ligious and  political  liberty,  and  here  also  we  find  depicted  the  daily 
life  of  the  people,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  were  educated,  cul- 
tivated, and  amused. 

The  last  century,  which  has  seen  a  few  isolated  colonies,  exhausted 
by  eight  years'  revolution,  develop  into  a  mighty  nation,  has  also 
witnessed  the  growth  of  a  national  literature,  a  literature  keeping 
pace  with  our  wonderful  material  prosperity,  and  equally  a  matter  of 
national  pride  and  national  importance.  The  truth  of  this  assertion 
is  made  evident  by  the  numerous  and  increasing  demands  for  a  work 
embodying  in  a  reasonable  compass  all  that  was  best  and  most  char- 
acteristic in  the  writings  of  our  authors,  a  work  chronologically  ar- 
ranged, so  that  each  period  of  our  growth  might  be  reflected  in  the 
writings  of  its  great  authors, 

The  work  is  as  broad  as  our  continent,  and  the  selections  as  diver- 
sified as  our  national  life.  It  is  strictly  a  work  for  the  whole  people, 
not  for  a  class,  and  is  arranged  to  meet  the  requirements  of  all. 

PRESS  COMMENTS. 

These  volumes  are  a  substantial  addition  to  popular  literature,  and  make,  as  they  pro- 
fess to  do,  a  library  of  our  best  American  reading  for  the  people  at  large. —  The  Atlantic 
Monthty,  Boston. 

It  not  only  makes  the  reader  well  acquainted  with  the  progress  of  American  literature, 
but  shows  him  its  relations  to  the  life  of  the  people  with  a  vividness  and  accuracy  which 
no  historian  has  yet  attempted. — New  York  Iribune. 


LIBRARY  OF  AMERICAN  LITERATURE.— Con^^n^led. 

Earnest  gratitude  is  due  to  the  poet-critic  and  the  charming  lyrist  whose  combined  studies 
have  produced  so  valuable  a  v^^ork. —  7%^?  Crii/c,  New  York. 

No  popular  review,  on  anything  Uke  an  appropriate  scale,  has  before  been  made  of  our 
national  literature;  for,  though  in  iis  beginning  it  was  studiously  modeled  on  the  parent 
source,  it  has  grown  to  be  as  distinctly  national  as  any  other  phase  of  American  develop- 
ment.— San  Francisco  Argonaut. 

1 1  is  both  a  pleasure  and  a  privilege  to  taste  of  this  literary  feast,  a  mental  feast  unparal- 
leled in  its  completeness  and  excellence — North  American  Review 

COMMENTS  OF  EMINENT  LITERARY  MEN. 
From  John  Greenleaf  Whittier. 

Oak  Knoll  Danvers,  Mass,  Sept.  14,  1888. 
The  plan  and  execution  seem  to  me  deserving  of  unqualified  praise.    A  breath  of  the 
New  World  blows  through  it.  John  G.  Whittier. 

William  Dean  Howells  in  the  "  Editor's  Study  '  oi Harper's  Monthly 
Magazine,  August,  1888. 
(See  the  entire  article  for  an  admirable  digest  of  the  work.) 
In  their  brief  introduction  they  give  us  at  once  the  right  point  of  view,  and  then  they 
make  haste  to  stand  out  of  the  way  and  let  us  enjoy  a  prospect  of  American  literature 
which  could  hardly  have  been  more  complete. 

From  John  Bigelow,  Ex-United  States  Minister  to  France. 

21  Gramercy  Park,  Nov.  22,  1889. 
This  library  is  one  thing  at  least  we  may  exhibit  at  the  Great  Fair  of  1892,  without  the 
slightest  apprehension  of  any  competition  from  abroad.    I  do  not  know  of  any  greater 
tribute  that  has  ever  been  paid  by  the  nation  to  Columbus,  or  indeed  can  be. 

John  Bigelow. 

From  Mark  Twain. 

If  one  would  think  or  laugh  or  cry,  or  feed  his  pity  or  love  or  charity,  or  lash  himself 
into  a  fury,  he  may  choose  his  emotion  and  turn  to  the  things  that  will  lift  it  to  an  ecstasy 
every  time. 

With  it  on  the  shelf,  one  may  say  to  anybody — Name  your  mood,  and  I  will  satisfy  its 
appetite  for  you.  S  L  Clemens  (Mark  Twain). 

COMMENTS  OF  PROMINENT  ED  UCA  TORS. 
From  Professor  John  Fiske,  of  Harvard  University 

Cambridge,  Jan.  25,  1889. 
The  book  will  be  of  great  service  to  the  student  of  American  history  and  American  lit- 
erature. Very  sincerely  yours,  John  Fiske. 
From  Dr.  W.  T.  Harris,  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education. 

Department  of  the  Interior,  \ 
Bureau  of  Education.  ) 
Washington-,  Dec.  20.  2889. 
1  do  not  see  how  any  school  in  America  can  spare  this  work  from  its  reference  library 
for  teachers  and  pupils. 

'  am  sure  that  every  private  individual  will  purchase  it  for  his  own  library,  if  he  has  to 
cut  off  for  a  time  his  purchase  of  other  literature.    Very  respectfully,     W.  T.  Harris. 
From  Professor  Moses  Coit  Tyler, 

Cornell  University,  May  23,  1888. 
I  can  truthfully  sny  that  I  am  much  impressed  by  the  tact  and  felicity  of  the  choice 
which  has  been  made  of  these  specimens  of  our  literature.    Faithfully  yours, 

Moses  Coit  Taylor. 
From  Hiram  Orcutt,  LL.  D.,  Manager  Bureau  of  Education,  Boston. 

Boston,  March  10,  1890. 
The  editors  of  this  great  work  are  to  be  congratulated  upon  their  success,  and  the  gen- 
eral public  upon  the  good  fortune  of  having  access  to  so  valuable  a  production 

Hiram  Orcutt. 

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